• Home
  • Who Said What
  • You Know Where You Stand Muneeba Ali Confident Ahead Of 2nd Odi Vs Sa W

"You Know Where You Stand": Muneeba Ali Confident Ahead Of 2nd ODI Vs SA-W

Soumyajit Dutta

Muneeba Ali [Source: @AllRoundersDen/X.com]Muneeba Ali [Source: @AllRoundersDen/X.com]

Pakistan women had a disappointing opening match against South Africa women in their first ODI of the Tri-Match ODI series. The first ODI, which was played on 16th September at Gaddafi Stadium, saw Pakistan women lose the match by 8 wickets. The commanding win was sealed by South Africa women, who chased down the target in style. 

Led by Tazmin Brits’ solid 101 and Marizanne Kapp’s 120 off 128 balls, SA-W absolutely demolished Pakistan’s bowlers to chase down a target of 256 with 8 balls remaining.

Though Pakistan women lost the match, wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali is taking positives into the next encounter on 19th September. 

Muneeba Ali Confident Ahead Of 2nd ODI

Speaking to PCB Digital as per pcb.com, Muneeba Ali showed confidence and highlighted encouraging aspects from the first match.

“We reflected on the first match and identified the areas where we were lacking, whether it was in batting, bowling, strategy or tactics. We have discussed those aspects and our aim is to improve where we fell short and carry the positives into the next match, so that as a team and as a group we can cover all bases,” Ali said.

Muneeba Ali also spoke about the importance of these matches ahead of the Women’s World Cup that is just around the corner. She stressed that the series will be vital to polish their shortcomings and prepare for a stronger performance in the tournament. 

“Playing matches before a tournament always helps with preparation. As a group and as a team, you get to know where you stand and which areas require greater effort for improvement. Our focus will be to address those shortcomings, build on the good things we did and ultimately look to win matches,” Ali added.

Ali On Her Vice-Captaincy Role

The vice-captain also reflected on her own role in the team, mentioning the responsibility she carries and that she is following the plans handed out to her.

“The management, both for T20Is and ODIs, communicated my role to me well in advance. The head coach clearly conveyed what was expected of me leading up to the World Cup and how I could contribute to the team. My focus has been on following that plan as closely as possible and producing results in the team’s favour,” Ali remarked.

Speaking of the behemoth partnerships in the first ODI, where Pakistan women also had a 147-run stand between Muneeba Ali and Sidra Ameen, Ali shared her views. Muneeba herself scored 74 runs in the match, while Sidra Ameen top-scored for Pakistan with 121 off 150 balls.

“The opposition had a long partnership and we also managed to build one, but the difference was that they converted theirs into a match-winning stand. Our objective will be to form partnerships that result in match-winning contributions and give us more opportunities to dominate,” Ali concluded.

Pakistan women bowlers disappointed as Rameen Shamim and Sadia Iqbal scalped one wicket each. Sadia Iqbal conceded 41 runs, while Fatima Sana gave away 59 runs in her 10-over spell, and Diana Baig leaked 55 runs in her 8 overs.