Strikers beat Stars by one run to win National Women’s T20 title

Strikers edged Stars by one run in a thrilling final on Monday to win the National Women’s T20 Tournament, defending a total of 115 at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

FAISALABAD: Strikers edged Stars by one run in a thrilling final on Monday to win the National Women’s T20 Tournament, defending a total of 115 at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Stars finished on 114-8 in their 20 overs after being set a target of 116. Pacer Syeda Masooma Zahra defended 11 runs in the final over, while off-spinner Rameen Shamim took two wickets for nine runs to help Strikers secure victory.

Captain Natalia Pervaiz top-scored for Strikers with 30 as her side were bowled out for 115 in 19 overs. Eman Naseer contributed 20, while leg-spinner Hafsa Khalid took four wickets for 29 runs for Stars.

In reply, Sadaf Shamas scored 37 and Diana Baig remained unbeaten on 16, but Stars fell just short of the target.

Strikers entered the final unbeaten after winning all eight of their league matches. Natalia led the team in the final in place of Fatima Sana, who had captained the side in six league games. Stars, captained by Tuba Hassan, reached the final after winning four of their eight league matches and securing victories in their last two must-win games.

Strikers received prize money of 1.5 million Pakistani rupees, while Stars took home one million rupees as runners-up. Syeda Aroob Shah of Invincibles was named player of the tournament, while Sadaf Shamas won the award for best batter and Rameen Shamim was named best bowler.