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FAISALABAD, Dec 03 (APP):The final league round of the National Women’s One-Day Cricket Tournament witnessed commanding performances as the Challengers and the Invincibles clinched emphatic victories in their respective matches played on Wednesday, setting the tone for the knockout stage with dominant all-round displays.
At the HPC Ground, Challengers defeated the Strikers by a convincing margin of 79 runs after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
Challengers posted a strong total of 264 runs for the loss of seven wickets, built around a fluent unbeaten 71 by Rameen Shamim and a solid 56 by Yusri Aamir.
In reply, Strikers were bundled out for 185 runs despite a fighting 56 by Aliya Riaz.
The bowling effort of Challengers was led by Quratulain and Sana Talib, who picked up two wickets each.
For Strikers, Zaib-un-Nisa and Shawaal Zulfiqar took two wickets apiece, but their efforts proved insufficient to halt the batting onslaught.
Rameen Shamim of Challengers was declared “Player of the Match” for her match-winning knock.
In the second match played at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad, Invincibles outclassed the Conquerors by 66 runs in a high-scoring encounter.
After winning the toss, Invincibles set a competitive target of 247 runs, anchored by a brilliant 85 from Hafsa Khalid while Muneeba Ali contributed 44 and Natalia Parvaiz added 43 runs.
Conquerors, in their chase, managed 181 runs, with Sidra Nawaz scoring a valiant 51.
The bowling attack of Invincibles remained disciplined, with Hafsa Khalid also chipping in with two crucial wickets while Amber Kainat, Um-e-Hani and Ayesha Bilal claimed two wickets each for Conquerors.
Hafsa Khalid of Invincibles was rightly adjudged “Player of the Match” for her outstanding all-round performance.
With these victories, both Invincibles and Challengers strengthened their positions at the conclusion of the league stage, reflecting the growing competitiveness and rising standard of women’s domestic cricket in Pakistan as the tournament moves toward its decisive phase.