Pakistan’s Under-19 women’s cricket team slipped to a second straight defeat in their home tri-series on Tuesday, going down by 13 runs to Bangladesh at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, in the Rivaj Presents University of Lahore U19 Women’s T20 Tri-Nation Series.
Put in to bowl first, Pakistan’s bowlers kept things tight for long periods, but late-order hitting from Bangladesh pushed the total up to a competitive total. Chasing 140, Pakistan’s middle order fought back but could not quite get over the line, finishing short with two balls to spare.
| Team | Score | Overs | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh U19 Women | 139/5 | 20 | Winners, by 13 runs |
| Pakistan U19 Women | 126/7 | 20 | Chasing |
Bangladesh’s innings was anchored by unbeaten knocks from Sadia Akter (33 off 33 balls, with two fours and a six) and Farjana Easmim Medha (28 not out off 22 balls), who added a brisk finishing partnership after the top order had got the innings going. In reply, Pakistan’s Komal Khan top-scored with 36 off 29 balls, while Ravail Farhan (32 off 29) and Zoofishan Ayyaz (32 off 30) also chipped in, but regular wickets at the other end kept the required rate climbing. With the bat and ball, Farjana Easmim Medha, who also picked up 3 for 25, was named player of the match, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board and The Express Tribune. Rozina Akram and Maham Nazakat picked up two wickets apiece for Pakistan.
This was Pakistan’s second loss in as many outings in the tournament. They had already gone down by 30 runs to Bangladesh in the series opener on October 2, also at Iqbal Stadium, in what was the venue’s first international women’s fixture. The tri-series, which also features Sri Lanka, runs through October 16 with nine group-stage matches before the final.
Both sides now turn to their matches against Sri Lanka: Bangladesh play the Sri Lankans on October 8, while Pakistan’s next assignment is on October 9, also in Faisalabad, where a win would be essential to keep their campaign alive before the tournament moves towards its final.
Our Opinion
Two defeats out of two at home is a tough start for Pakistan’s junior women’s side, but it also points to something worth watching rather than panicking over: a tri-series format against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Under-19 level only works as a development tool if the PCB treats the results as data rather than a verdict on the whole pipeline — the batting is clearly not short of individual talent, as Komal Khan, Ravail Farhan and Zoofishan Ayyaz all showed, but the bowling and fielding discipline in the closing overs of both matches has been the difference, and that is exactly the kind of gap age-group cricket exists to close before these players move up. The real test now is October 9 against Sri Lanka, where a response under pressure will say more about this squad’s trajectory than either of the opening defeats did.
