KARACHI: Vice captain Nain Abidi starred with the bat to help Pakistan Women win the first match in the Tri-Nation Women’s One day Series by beating Ireland Women by 42 runs at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin Ireland on Wednesday.

According to information reaching here, the match had to be decided through the Duckworth-Lewis method after rain stopped play twice.

Winning the toss, Pakistan chose to bat first and scored an impressive 254 for 3 in their stipulated 50 overs at over 5.0 runs an over. The visitors owed their fine total to Nain Abidi who, batting at one-down, scored a brilliant 101 not out with the help of nine fours off 129 balls.

Earlier, openers Nida Dar and Qanita Jalil got the team to a stable start as they contributed 15 and 42 runs respectively.

Bismah Maroof added 29 and Javeria Wadood Khan 41 while the extras conceded by Ireland amounted to a healthy 26 runs.

In reply, despite batting at a brisk rate of 4.64 runs per over, Ireland could reach just 181 for eight wickets after 39 overs.

If Nain was brilliant with the willow, the team wicketkeeper Batool Fatima was exceptional behind the stumps.

She stumped two Irish players (Melissa Scott-Hayward and Mary Waldron) and ran out another (Eimear Richardson) to the delight of her teammates.

Fellow players Sadia Yousuf, Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan also fielded well and ran out Ireland’s Cecelia Joyce, Kim Garth and Laura Delany respectively. The only batswoman to resist the Pakistan bowling were opener Clare Shillington who made a fine 66 off 76 balls.