Pakistan’s all-rounder Nida Dar has scored the fastest T20I fifty in women cricket on Wednesday. Nida reached half-century in just 20 deliveries which is also the fastest T20I century by a Pakistani batter in both men and women cricket.
The 32-year-old scored 75 runs in 37 deliveries registering the highest T20I individual score for Pakistan, going past Javeria Khan, who had earlier scored 74 against Ireland. She also became the third Pakistani women cricketer to breach the 1,000 T20I-run mark.
She walked in to bat when Pakistan was struggling, having lost two quick wickets for 10 runs in 4.1 overs. It was up to Dar to lay a foundation for a fighting total against South Africa. In order to do that, Dar did not refrain from going by the mantra ‘see the ball, hit the ball’. She hit four consecutive boundaries twice in her record-breaking innings, taking the South African bowlers to the cleaners.
The magnitude of her rampant innings can be ascertained by the statistic that her strike rate of 202.70 was the seventh-highest in any T20I fifty-plus score in women cricket. She shared a crucial 106-run partnership with skipper Bismah Maroof to take her team’s total to 172 for 5 in 20 overs which is Pakistan’s second-highest T20I total of all-time.
Highest T20I score by a Pakistani woman
Second-highest T20I total by PakistanNida Dar’s 75 (37) and Aliya Riaz’s 35 (17) have taken to 172/5 in the 4th T20I. Can they defend this to seal the series?
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After a stellar display with the bat, Dar delivered with her off-spin as well. She bowled economically, giving just 21 runs in 4 overs and picking up the wicket of South African opener Tazmin Ismail. However, her all-round effort went in vain as South Africa chased down the final with 5 balls to spare.
Despite the loss, Dar’s innings will be a game-changer for Pakistan women cricket and will be remembered for years to come.
