Pakistan edges Thailand to reach Asian Games semifinals
Under heavy skies and heavier pressure, Pakistan clung on.
What looked like a routine chase of 92 in 11 overs at Korogi Sports Park turned into a nerve-jangling scrap, before captain Fatima Sana tore into Thailand’s bowlers and dragged her side into the Asian Games semifinals with a three-wicket win and two balls to spare.
This was no cruise. It was an escape.
Sana leads with the ball, then with the bat
The rain had already had its say, slicing the contest down to 11 overs a side. Pakistan chose to field, backing their attack to squeeze Thailand early on a damp outfield.
Sana set the tone with the ball. She struck in the second over and marshalled her bowlers smartly as Thailand crawled through the powerplay. Dot balls piled up. Boundaries dried up. For five overs, Pakistan had the game in a firm grip.
Then it slipped.
Umm-e-Hani’s seventh over went for 14 as Nannapat Koncharoenkai broke free, cracking consecutive fours and shaking Thailand out of their early shackles. Suddenly, the innings had a heartbeat.
At the other end, Phannita Maya nudged and nurdled to 15 off 16 before Thailand made a bold call: retired out with two overs left. It was a tactical gamble that paid off instantly. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai walked in and launched her first two balls for six and four, a stunning injection of intent.
She fell soon after, but the tone had changed. Koncharoenkai kept the pressure on, threading another boundary in the final over before Sana returned to trap her lbw for 49 – a standout knock that carried Thailand to 91 for 4. On a shortened day, it felt more than merely competitive.
Pakistan wobble as Thailand scent an upset
Pakistan’s reply began with authority. Shawaal Zulfiqar was busy and brutal, carving three fours and a six inside the first three overs. At 33 on the board, the chase looked on schedule, almost routine.
Thailand refused to accept that script.
Zulfiqar’s dismissal in the fourth over cracked the door open, and offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu barged straight through it. She ripped the middle order apart with a three-wicket burst, using flight and dip to drag Pakistan into trouble. Every dot ball tightened the noose.
At the other end, Suleeporn Laomi was miserly, conceding just three runs in her two overs and prising out Ayesha Zafar. The scoreboard stalled, the asking rate climbed. From comfortable, Pakistan were suddenly staring at 44 needed off the last four overs. Eleven an over in a tense knockout, against bowlers hitting their lengths, on a damp surface.
Thailand could smell a shock.
Captain’s assault turns the tide
Sana decided she had seen enough.
Targeting Kamchomphu, the bowler who had caused the most damage, she launched a ferocious counter-attack. Three fours and a six flew from her bat in a single over, shredding the equation and rattling Thailand’s composure. The momentum flipped in minutes.
Eyman Fatima joined in, hammering a six in the same 25-run over that transformed the chase. From desperate, Pakistan were suddenly favourites again.
But this contest refused to settle.
Sana’s dismissal reopened the door for Thailand, her cameo of 21 ending just as she had dragged Pakistan within sight of the line. Eyman’s wicket in the penultimate over tightened it further. With the pressure rising and the fielders circling, the game was back in the balance.
Tuba’s cool head finishes the job
Tuba Hassan walked in with nerves all around her, but she batted like she hadn’t noticed. A clean six, then a four, appeared to slam the door on Thailand’s resistance. Even her eventual dismissal could not revive their hopes; the damage had been done.
By the time the final over began, Pakistan needed just four. No heroics, no risks – just calm. They knocked off the runs in singles, closing on 92 for 7 in 10.4 overs, the scoreboard hiding the chaos that had come before.
Thailand’s fight, led by Koncharoenkai’s 49 and the combined efforts of Kamchomphu (3 for 37) and Sunida Chaturongrattana (2 for 23), deserved more than a narrow defeat. But in tournament cricket, the margins are unforgiving, and Sana’s all-round performance – 2 for 22 and that game-breaking 21 – proved the difference.
Bangladesh advance without a ball bowled
Earlier at the same venue, the weather had the final say. The first quarterfinal between Bangladesh and Hong Kong, China was washed out due to a wet outfield. With no play possible, Bangladesh progressed to the semifinals on higher seeding, a quiet passage in stark contrast to Pakistan’s fraught escape.
One side advanced without facing a ball. The other had to survive a full-blooded scare. If this quarterfinal is any indication, Pakistan’s route through the knockouts will be anything but straightforward.
