India and Pakistan faced each other on Sunday in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022, where the Women in Blue defeated their arch-rivals comfortably by a margin of 107 runs. However there was a moment off the field which melted the hearts of cricket fans. After the match, Indian players were spotted playing with Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof’s daughter, Fatima.
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, and Meghna S were among those seen in the viral video frolicking with the 6-month old baby. It’s worth noting that Bismah Maroof is returning to the sport after a two-year gap. World Cup 2022 is her first assignment after the long break. Before this game, Maroof’s last appearance in international cricket was in March 2020 in the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) helped her in returning to international cricket by providing a ‘support person’ who can take care of the infant, so that Maroof can focus on her cricket.
Watch the adorable video here:
India defeat Pakistan by 107 runs
Talking about the match, Indian skipper Mithali Raj won the toss and opted to bat first at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. India scored 244/7 from their 50 overs, courtesy of Pooja Vastrakar (67), Smriti Mandhana (52), Sneh Rana (53 not out), and Deepti Sharma (40).
In reply, Pakistan could never gain momentum in their innings as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Rajeshwari Gayakwad grabbed four wickets for India, while Jhulan Goswami and Sneh Rana each picked two wickets. For her all-round performance, Sneh Rana was selected as Player of the Match. India have now played 11 ODI matches against Pakistan and won all of them. Next, India will travel to Hamilton to face hosts New Zealand On March 10.
Little Fatima's first lesson in the spirit of cricket from India and Pakistan 💙💚 #CWC22
📸 @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/ut2lCrGL1H
— ICC (@ICC) March 6, 2022
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