Aliya Riaz's first T20I fifty sets up Pakistan victory

 

Aliya Riaz

Pakistan's newest T20I star, Aliya Riaz, had the highest individual score for any woman playing in Pakistan. Her fifty in the first innings was instrumental to victory for us and this is why it's my favourite moment of the match.

It was a shame that both teams were not at full strength but we're gaining more confidence with each win as players start getting back from injury. On today’s performance, I’d say we have a very competitive team and I am confident that there are plenty of opportunities to come our way! We might not be favourites going into any tournament but with the right mindset and performance, anything is possible.

 

 

It was a tough match to play against United Arab Emirates in terms of the weather and the conditions. We were playing from an end with a bit of sun and they were playing from an end that had pretty much no wind. That was a disadvantage for us but we did well in the first innings to get ourselves back on track.

After Sidra Ameen  got out, I just thought I should play sensibly because this is my first Twenty20 game but as soon as I started hitting, I knew it wasn’t going to stop me. Wining when you're batting anywhere in any position makes you feel good!

We learnt a lot after our losses in England and India.