India vs Pakistan, Women's Asia Cup 2022 Highlights: PAK stun IND to win by 18 runs in Sylhet

Gayakwad is bowled over by Aiman Anwer and India are all out for 124! What an extraordinary turnaround this is from Pakistan. Many would have expected this to be a walkover for India considering their strong record against Pakistan and how the latter struggled to get going in their stunning defeat to minnows Thailand in just the previous match. But they were on the money here almost throughout the match, right from that partnership between Nida Dar and Bismah Maroof to the bowling effort, in which Dar took two wickets herself. 

They are down to their last wicket. This has been a thriller of a match, not something you normally get when India and Pakistan meet in women's cricket. Pakistan have been pretty much on the money throughout their defence of this target. Can they finish the job?

Richa Ghosh goes down swinging. She tries a slog sweep off a length ball but sends it into the hands of long on. She had to go for her shots and she has given India a glimmer of hope.  

Ghosh c Aliya Riaz b Sadia Iqbal 26 (13), India 120/9 in 18.3 overs, need 18 to win off 9 balls

Wow, she is doing something special here. Short from Sadia Iqbal and Richa slaps it over long on. Then she pulls it past deep midiwicket for a four. 

Radha Yadav tries to go big as well but ends up holing out to long-on. India down to their last two wickets. 

Yadav c Aliya Riaz b Nashra Sandhu 3 (4), India 110/8 in 18 overs, need 28 to win off 12. 

Richa Ghosh says that India are very much still in the game. The first one comes off the third ball of the 18th, flying over long on. Then another over deep midwicket. 

Deepti was just starting too look good and Sadia Iqbal gets the big wicket. This is now certainly Pakistan's match to lose. 

Deepti Sharma c Bismah Maroof b Sadia Iqbal 16 (11), India 91/6 in 15.2 overs

Deepti Sharma ends the 15th in style and India need many more of that. This is pretty much the decisive partnership now, break this and this becomes Pakistan's match to lose. 

Harmanpreet Kaur picks it up over the leg side to the left of long on and that is a much needed boundary for India. Harmanpreet is pretty much her team's last hope. 

Hemalatha misses an attempted scoop and the ball hits the stumps unimpeded. India have lost half of their batting lineup now. 

Hemalatha b Tuba Hassan 20 (22), India 65/5 in 12.1 overs

That is just suicidal running, both batters seem to have lost their bearings there. Vastrakar smacks it back to the bowler, who obviously is unable to hold on to it and the ball ricochets off her hands to her left. Vastrakar for some reason goes for a run at that point, then both hesitate and by that point Pakistan finish the easy run out.   

Vastrakar run out (Nashra Sandhu/Muneeba Ali) 5 (8), India 63/4 in 11.4 overs

That missed stumping was not too expensive as it turns out. This is somehwat uncharacteristic from her, she was looking to swing at every ball and this time, she holes out and long on.  

Smriti Mandhana c Aiman Anwer b Nashra Sandhu 17 (19), India 50/3 in 9.4 overs

Mandhana lives to fight another day. She had come down the track, missed the shot completely and was gone but Muneeba Ali fails to collect the ball on time!

Sandhu flights it up and Mandhana sweeps it with some disdain to the backward square leg boundary. 

Pakistan have their tails up, India looking to survive. Dayalan Hemalathan has joined Mandhana now and she has made nine in 12 balls. Mandhana is on 12 off 14.

Nida Dar starred with the bat and now she takes possibly the most important wicket of this lineup. Jemimah had been dropped twice, with the last lifeline coming right off the previous ball. She comes down the track to go over the onside, miscues the shot and gets a top edge to point where Tuba pouches the dolly.  

Jemimah c Tuba Hassan b Nida Dar 2 (8), India 29/2 in 5.2 overs

And a wicket is exactly what they get! Meghana looking to go over the top but ends up holing out at cover. Good catch from Sidra Ameen behind her head running back and Sandhu gets the breakthrough for Pakistan. 

Meghana c Sidra Ameen b Nashra Sandhu 15 (14), India 23/1 in 3.2 overs

Meghana has had more of the strike and has scored 15 off 12 balls. Mandhana on a run-a-ball six. Pakistan desperately need a wicket here, they are not defending a gigantic total. 

We have lift off! Nida Dar tosses one up o

Sadia Iqbal bowls the first over Pakistan and she bowls to S Meghana with Smriti Mandhana at the other end. The batters run two off the fourth ball to open the team's account.

India have pulled things back in the last five overs. Just 31 runs have come off it, whereas the previous five had gone for 46. It remains a competitive total and gives the Pakistan bowlers something to work with. 

Ayesha Naseem starts the last over in style. Steps down the track and smacks Deepti down the ground for a boundary. Then takes a single to bring Nida Dar on strike. Pakistan 134/5 in 19.2 overs

Nida Dar is running out of partners. Aliya Riaz departs for 7 off as many deliveries, as she is caught at long on.

Pakistan 121/5 in 17.3 overs

A brilliant half-century from the Nida Dar, as she brings up her sixth 50+ score in T20Is! This one comes in merely 30 balls.

Pakistan 117/4 in 17 overs

Renuka picks her first wicket! Bismah Maroof is out! The Pakistan captain shuffles across her stumps and tries to play the lap shot, but instead is forced to play the reverse sweep after the ball lands outside off stump. As a result, she hands over the catch to short third man.

Pakistan 111-4 in 16 overs