Nida Dar helps Pakistan end 18-match World Cup losing streak

Pakistan aced the trial by spin on a Seddon Park surface where run-making was not easy to end their record 18-match losing streak in Women's World Cup. Playing her first match in the competition, left-hand batter Muneeba Ali scored 37 off 43 balls and helped chase down 90, with seven balls and eight wickets to spare, in a 20-overs-per-side game.

The win got Pakistan their first points while jolting West Indies' chances of making the semi-finals. The last team Pakistan had beaten in a World Cup was also West Indies, back in 2009.

Muneeba played out a maiden off Hayley Matthews in the first over of the chase, but soon got a measure of her, hitting the offspinner for back-to-back fours in the third over. She also worked the offspin of Anisa Mohammed behind square on the leg side and ran well between the wickets to help Pakistan get off to a positive start.

Afy Fletcher, who troubled Bangladesh in the previous game, struck immediately to dismiss Sidra Ameen, who went for a wild slog to be bowled. But Muneeba found the ropes in three out of next five overs to keep Pakistan in front at the halfway stage. Her partnership with captain Bismah Maroof also stood out for the numerous tap-and-runs to rotate strike, something Pakistan were guilty of in their previous outings.

But Shakera Selman's introduction saw Muneeba slice a short ball to backward point. This, after she saw a catch go down as well as survive a run-out chance - both off the same delivery, a ball before her dismissal.

Maroof then found an ally in young Omaima Sohail, who survived some nervy moments to help Pakistan see through the chase with minimum drama, an anomaly given the number of close finishes this tournament has seen.

It was the magic of Nida Dar, who picked up her career-best ODI figures earlier, that helped Pakistan keep West Indies to 89 for 7 after a delay of over five hours due to rain and wet outfield.

Deandra Dottin hit a flurry of fours in the first three overs, including three in an over off Diana Baig, after Pakistan opted to bowl. But from the other end, left-arm spinner Anam Amin, who came into the XI for Ghulam Fatima, kept it tight by bowling a maiden in the final over of the four-over powerplay.

That brought about a wicket for Pakistan as Hayley Matthews top-edged one to backward point off Fatima Sana in a bid to break free. Captain Maroof kept the pressure on by bowling Amin's four overs at one go and bringing on another left-arm spinner in Nashra Sandhu soon after.

Dar struck with her first ball to dismiss Dottin for 27 as West Indies' scoring rate dropped further on a surface aiding the spinners. Stafanie Taylor promoted herself up to No. 3 but failed to have the desired impact, eventually falling for 18 off 31 to Sandhu, who delivered a wicket-maiden in the 17th over of the innings.

Apart from Dottin, Taylor and Fletcher, no other West Indies batter could get into double digits as Dar ran through the middle order, picking two wickets in two balls at one point. Offspinner Sohail also made inroads by getting one to spin past Chedean Nation to bowl her.

Fletcher and Aaliyah Alleyne struck some useful blows towards the end, adding an unbroken 26 off 23 balls for the eighth wicket. But it wasn't enough for them to notch up a fourth win that could have smoothened their passage to the semi-finals.