Bangladesh Women rally to maiden win over India
In their previous match they broke their T20I duck against Pakistan, and on Wednesday (June 6), Bangladesh Women achieved another first - they beat India for the first time in international cricket. With this, not only did they snap their 0-13 (four ODIs, nine T20Is) losing streak against India, but they also snapped India's unbeaten record in the Asia Cup.
All-rounder Rumana Ahmed had a special day in the office, as she inspired Bangladesh with both ball and bat. First, she took three wickets in five balls - including captain Harmanpreet Kaur - to halt India's charge at the death. And then, her undefeated 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Fargana Hoque put the seal on a memorable performance, as they comfortably steered their team home.
Opting to bat first, India appeared well-placed around the halfway mark. At the completion of the 11th over, with the score reading 86 for 3, and with Harmanpreet looking good at the crease, they would have fancied crossing 150. However, Rumana's leg-spin threw a wrench in those plans when she got rid of the Indian skipper for 42 in the 16th over. Her double-strike in the 18th over further halted India's charge who eventually had to settle for 141 - which was still handy if not intimidating.
The pressure was on when Bangladesh found themselves at 49 for three after losing a couple of quick wickets. But the way the duo of Fargana and Rumana dealt with it was mighty impressive. They never allowed India to get on top by continuously rotating the strike, while also finding the fence quite frequently. There was no psychological baggage of the many defeats suffered against the same opposition in the past, nor did they allow panic to set in as they always stayed ahead of the rate. Despite the game going to the last over, the result was never in doubt after the maturity with which this partnership had been constructed.
So, with this result, the points table has been opened right up with four teams on four points each. India remain on top though owing to their far superior net run rate.
Brief scores: India 141/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 42; Rumana Ahmed 3-21) lost to Bangladesh 142/3 in 19.4 overs (Fargana Hoque 52*, Rumana Ahmed 42*; Poonam Yadav 1/21) by seven wickets.
Nida Dar, the bowling all-rounder, put up a stellar performance by bagging five wickets for just 21 runs, and piloted Pakistan to a crucial 23-run win over Sri Lanka Women in the Women's T20 Asia Cup, in Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday (June 6). Sri Lanka could only muster 113/9 in their allotted 20 overs, in pursuit of a target of 137.
While hunting down a competitive target, Sri Lanka needed a good start. Yasoda Mendis (25) and Nipuni Hansika (24) provided that solid platform by stringing together an opening stand of 48 in eight overs. However, Dar spun a web around the opposition ranks as Pakistan scripted an impressive turnaround. Mendis was the first one to be dismissed, caught by Sidra Nawaz off Dar, while Hansika was stumped in Dar's next over.
Once the openers were dismissed in quick succession, rest of the batters struggled to keep up with the required run-rate. Anushka Sanjeewani (11) was the next highest scorer for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka also weren't helped by the fact that they lost a couple of wickets via run-outs. On the other hand, Dar bagged a five-for, surpassing her previous best T20I figures of 3 for 12 against India. Earlier, after Pakistan were inserted into bat, Bismah Maroof, the captain, led from the front with a quickfire 41-ball 60. Nahida Khan (38) also made a vital contribution at the top of the order.
Both teams have four points each from three matches so far. However, Sri Lanka sit second on the table and ahead of Pakistan by one place due to better NRR.
Brief scores: Pakistan136/4 in 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 60, Nahida Khan 38; Sugandika Kumari 2-18) beatSri Lanka113/9 in 20 overs (Yasoda Mendis 25; Nida Dar 5-21) by 23 runs.
The hosts, Malaysia, succumbed to a crushing nine-wicket loss against Thailand, as they suffered their third straight embarrassing defeat in the Women's T20 Asia Cup. The visitors chased down the paltry target of 37 for the loss of just one wicket and in the ninth over to register their first win of the tournament.
Malaysia, who opted to bat, struggled to stitch partnerships of any significance. The home side's woes can be capsulised by the point that not a single player crossed the double-digit mark. Sasha Azmi, the 16-year-old medium pacer, batting at No. 9, turned out to be the top-scorer (9) for the side. However, on a slightly positive note, the home side weren't bowled out as they batted through their full quota of overs. Wongpaka Liengprasert picked up two wickets for Thailand.
Despite losing Nattakan Chantam in the fourth over, Thailand cruised to the target. Naruemol Chaiwai top-scored for them with an undefeated 20. Azmi, Malaysia's leading wicket-taker for the tournament, picked up the only scalp to fall.
Brief scores: Malaysia 36/8 in 20 overs (Wongpaka Liengprasert 2-10) lost to Thailand37/1 in 9 overs (Naruemol Chaiwai 20*) by nine wickets.
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