KUALA LUMPUR (DNA): Pakistan beat Malaysia by 23 runs in the Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup on Thursday, at Kinrara Academy Oval. Batting first, Pakistan put up a target of 178 runs. Despite losing Nahida Khan in the very first over, Pakistan recovered from the early blow with a with a 37-ball 62 from captain Bismah Maroof. Nida Dar chipped in with a 27-ball 41 to lead the women in green to 177/5 in their 20 overs. Their stand for the fourth wicket stand which was worth 85 helped Paksiatn put up a massive target of 178 with Maroof hitting six fours in her innings and Dar hitting three fours and a six. In reply, the Malaysian women team crumbled to a paltry 30 all out in 18.4 overs, with Dar picking up four wickets – for Pakistan to record a 147-run win. The win against Malaysia puts Pakistan top of the table with a fantastic net run rate of 2.602 for the time being. Pakistan have twice reached the finals of Women’s Asia Cup. Women’s T20 Asia Cup Tournament is being held in Malaysia, under the aegis of the Asian Cricket Council. Six teams including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and host Malaysia are participating in the event. Pakistan’s next game will be against India on Saturday, June 9.