Strikers win National Women's T20 title by one run against Stars

Strikers won the National Women's T20 Tournament title with a one-run victory over defending champions Stars in the final at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Monday. The result completed an unbeaten campaign of nine wins in nine matches.

Batting first, Strikers were bowled out for 115 in 19 overs. Eman Naseer scored 20 from 12 balls and, together with Aqsa Habib, gave the side a brisk start, according to The Express Tribune. The team then lost five wickets for 58 runs before captain Natalia Parvaiz steadied the innings with a top score of 30 off 31 balls. Huraina Sajjad added 16 and Rameen Shamim 15.

For Stars, leg-spinner Hafsa Khalid took 4-29, captain Tuba Hassan took 2-17 and Diana Baig also took two wickets.

In reply, Stars stayed in the chase through Sadaf Shamas, who scored 37 from 38 balls with three fours and two sixes. Diana Baig remained not out on 16 from 17 balls. She hit a four off the first ball of the final over, but Stars could not score the runs required.

Pacer Syeda Masooma Zahra defended 11 runs in the final over, and Stars ended on 114-8 in their 20 overs. Off-spinner Rameen Shamim returned two wickets for nine runs from four overs, and fellow off-spinner Omaima Sohail took two wickets while conceding 11 runs in her four overs.

Rameen was named player of the match. Syeda Aroob Shah of Invincibles was player of the tournament after scoring 134 runs and taking ten wickets.

Sadaf Shamas was the leading batter of the tournament with 285 runs, while Rameen Shamim topped the bowling with 19 wickets. Strikers received a cash prize of Rs1.5 million and runners-up Stars received Rs1 million.