In the opening One-Day International on Tuesday, New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 131 runs due to injuries to two of the team’s more seasoned players. Diana Baig, a crucial speedster, had a finger injury during a practise session prior to the first ODI match, which rendered her out of the game. When the match progressed, Pakistan’s problems grew when captain Nida Dar was hit in the face while bowling, forcing her to miss the rest of the match.
Pakistan was reduced to a score of 234 when chasing 366, mostly due to the loss of the star pair.
The crowd was spellbound by Suzie Bates’s 108 from 104 balls, which she accomplished with plenty of help from middle-order batsmen Bernadine Bezuidenhout (86), Amelia Kerr (83) and Sophie Devine (70 from 36 balls). In a women’s ODI in New Zealand, the hosts scored 365/4, their second-highest total thanks to their combined efforts at the batting.
Sidra Ameen responded by matching Bates’s effort with a faultless 105 in 116 deliveries. Pakistan’s middle-order batsman did not provide the right-handed batter the much-needed assistance that the white ferns did.
Amelia Kerr, the captain, took three wickets and Lea Tahuhu took two to engineer the middle-order collapse that moved the Kiwis closer to victory. With one ball remaining, Jess Kerr, Fran Jonas, Hannah Rowe, and Sophie Devine each grabbed a wicket to bring Pakistan’s innings to a close on 234 runs.
Pakistan will want to recover and continue to build on their historic victory in the Twenty20 International Series. Baig has been ruled out of the whole series, although skipper Dar is anticipated to be healthy for the next two ODI matches.
Hagley Oval will host the second and third ODIs, which are scheduled for December 15 and December 18, respectively.
