Muneeba Ali, a left-handed opener, made 102 against Ireland at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday, scoring the first century of the Women’s T20 World Cup and the first ever by a Pakistani woman.
Pakistan was given the opportunity to bat and was pushed to a total of 165 for five by the bespectacled left-handed opening hitter.
Although she had struck a one-day international hundred against the same opponents in Lahore last November, the little-built Muneeba had not before achieved a half-century in 44 T20 internationals.
A third-wicket partnership of 101 was shared by Muneeba and seasoned player Nida Dar (33).
Muneeba was dropped on 45, one of many mistakes in a poor Irish fielding effort, and she surpassed Nida Dar’s previous record of 75 to become Pakistan’s best scorer in T20 cricket in 2019. Muneeba was dropped on 45.
She raised her hundred with a boundary off Leah Paul and then dropped when she skied a slog to mid-on three balls later. In 68 balls faced, Muneeba struck 14 fours.
