Birmingham, June 14: Deepti Sharma was named ‘Player of the Match’ in the high-stakes Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Pakistan, where she took 5 wickets for just 10 runs in 4 overs. With this achievement, Deepti has become the second woman in international cricket history to reach the milestone of 350 wickets.
So far, Deepti has claimed 354 wickets for India. She is just behind former fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who leads the list with 355 wickets. England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt follows in third place with 335 wickets, while Australia’s Ellyse Perry holds fourth with 332. England’s Sophie Ecclestone rounds out the top five with 327 wickets.
In the match played at Edgbaston, India batted first, scoring 170 runs while losing 6 wickets. In response, the Pakistani team was bowled out for just 106 runs in 17 overs, giving India a victory by 64 runs.
Before her remarkable bowling performance, Deepti contributed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 12 runs off 9 balls, including one four. She formed a crucial partnership of 45 runs for the sixth wicket with Richa Ghosh in just 21 balls.
After her historic win and being named ‘Player of the Match’, Deepti expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am very thankful. I love pitches like this, and all the credit goes to the team. I really enjoy ICC tournaments; I feel that’s where I started, so I love them.”
Regarding the pitch conditions, Deepti mentioned, “I think because the ball was turning, I changed my pace with every ball and every over. This helped me a lot. I focused on bowling at the right spots and trusting myself. That’s all I was doing.”
The match attracted 18,814 fans to the stadium. Deepti added, “The turnout was amazing, and many people came to support us. We want as many people as possible to support us. I particularly want to mention the partnership between Smriti and Harmanpreet. That partnership changed the course of the match. I always trust myself that when the right time comes, I will step up and perform well. In fact, when I wasn’t taking wickets, I wasn’t worried, but I always believe that when the moment is right, I will perform for the team, and that’s how I play and bowl.”
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