A magical spell by Nashru Sandhu- a six-wicket haul while giving away just seven runs helped Pakistan trounce Hong Kong by 72 runs and make the semifinals of the Women’s Asia Cup.

With the win, Pakistan finished second in Group A behind India with two wins and one defeat, and will face Sri Lanka in the second semifinal on September 11.

Having won the toss and decided to bat first, Pakistan managed to score 143/8 in the first innings. Shawal Zulfiqar top scored for Pakistan with 47 while Joyleen Kaur shone with the ball for Indonesia (4/19).

In the second innings, Hong Kong trudged along painfully slowly, its approach resembling that of a team that had mentally given up on winning the match even before the chase got underway.

The Pakistani bowling attack, led by captain Fatima Sana, kept things tight, offering no scoring opportunities to the Hong Kong batters.

Nashra was brought on after the first six and it didn’t take her long to put the game to rest. The 28-year-old first broke the partnership Yasmin Daswani and Kary Chan and two overs later, prised two more batters in the space of four balls.

Nashra completed her six-wicket haul off the final delivery of her spell as Hong Kong was bowled out for 71 in 19 overs.

The left-arm spinner also broke multiple records in her match-winning performance. She became the first Pakistani bowler to take six wickets in a T20I, while her figures of 6/7 are also the best by a Pakistani bowler in the shortest format.

Nashra also became just the third Pakistani bowler to take a fifer in women’s T20Is after Nida Dar and Omaima Sohail.

Published on Sep 08, 2026