LAHORE - Skippers Sidra Amin and Fatima Sana led from the front as Stars and Conquerors recorded crucial victories in the eighth round of the National Women’s T20 Tournament 2024-25 at the National Bank Stadium, tightening the points race with two games remaining.
In the afternoon clash, Sidra Amin struck an unbeaten 70 off 50 balls, steering Stars to a commanding seven-wicket win over Invincibles. Chasing 141, Stars reached the target in 18.4 overs, with Sidra anchoring the innings and sharing an unbeaten 84-run fourth-wicket partnership with Sidra Nawaz (24*). The chase was set up by a brisk start from Sana Urooj, who scored 21 off 16 balls. Sidra’s fluent knock, laced with 10 boundaries, also propelled her to the top of the tournament’s run charts with 320 runs.
Earlier, Invincibles appeared in control after a 115-run opening stand between skipper Muneeba Ali (52 off 37) and Ayesha Zafar (61 off 50). However, a dramatic collapse saw them slump to 140-6, with no other batter reaching double digits. Aleesa Mukhtiar (3-23) and Waheeda Akhtar (2-20) led Stars’ fightback with the ball. Despite Saima Malik’s impressive spell of 3-20 for Invincibles, it wasn’t enough to prevent their third defeat.
In the morning match, Fatima Sana powered Conquerors to a 31-run win over Challengers, keeping her side in the hunt for semi-final qualification. Fatima top-scored with 42 off 28 balls in Conquerors’ total of 139-6, supported by Saira Jabeen (27 off 20) and Najiha Alvi (16* off 8). Rameen Shamim starred with the ball for Challengers, claiming 3-34 and becoming the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps.
In response, Challengers managed 108-6 as Conquerors’ bowlers applied consistent pressure. Humna Bilal struck early with 2-18, while spinners Mahnoor Aftab, Nashra Sandhu, Syeda Aroob Shah, and Rida Aslam shared four wickets between them. Despite a fighting 52-run stand between Aliya Riaz (35 off 43) and Natalia Parvaiz (28 off 24), Challengers fell short. With just two rounds to go, all four teams, Stars, Conquerors, Challengers, and Strikers, are locked on six points each. They are currently separated only by net run-rate, setting up a thrilling finish to the group stage.