On a balmy February night at Cape Town two years ago, Ireland’s Leah Paul stood at her bowling mark in the 19th over of the innings; her side having had a tough day in the field — courtesy of the batter waiting for her at the other end.
Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali shuffles in the crease and moves outside the leg stump. Paul follows, but the left-handed batter caresses the ball to the boundary from in between the legs of the cover fielder to thundering applause from the dressing room.
With that boundary, Muneeba become the first woman from Pakistan to score a T20I hundred and the sixth in international cricket to get a ton at the World Cup.
Now, the bespectacled 28-year-old opener is looking to make a similar impact at the Women’s ODI world cup . Muneeba featured in just two matches of the last edition of the tournament back in 2022.
She played just two matches in New Zealand but was part of the team that beat the West Indies for their solitary victory of the global showpiece.
“I enjoyed batting there — it is very exciting to play in the World Cup and I really got immersed in the whole experience.”
Muneeba heads into this month’s World Cup in good form. She made 76 in the opening One-day International against South Africa last week and then scored 44 in the third and final game of the series — the only game won by her side.
