Women’s World Cup: India Defeats Pakistan by 88 Runs

COLOMBO: In a high-stakes match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, India defeated Pakistan by a convincing margin of 88 runs at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana won the toss and elected to field first. India posted a competitive total of 247 runs in their allotted 50 overs. In response, the Pakistan women’s team was bowled out for just 159 runs in the 43rd over.

Pakistan struggled to form strong partnerships throughout the innings. Sidra Ameen was the standout performer with a fighting 81, while Natalia Pervaiz contributed 33 runs. Sidra Nawaz added 14 runs with one boundary. Apart from these three, no other batter could reach double figures, and two batters were dismissed without scoring.

Read more: India set 248 runs target for Pakistan in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

India’s bowling was led by Kranti Gaud and Deepti Sharma, who took 3 wickets each. Sneh Rana chipped in with 2 wickets.

In India’s batting lineup, Harleen Deol top-scored with 46 runs. Other key contributions came from Richa Ghosh (35), Jemimah Rodrigues (32), Deepti Sharma (25), Sneh Rana (20), and Pratika Rawal (31). Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 19 runs, while Smriti Mandhana added 23.

From Pakistan’s bowling side, Diana Baig took 4 wickets, while Sadia Iqbal and Fatima Sana grabbed 2 wickets each. Rameen Shamim and Nashra Sandhu took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, controversy arose during the Asia Cup when Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur refused to shake hands with Pakistan captain Fatima Sana during the toss, sparking criticism for violating the spirit of the game.

The weather had also been a concern leading up to the match, with rain predicted and recent matches affected. Despite these concerns, the game went ahead as planned, with India emerging victorious.