Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets in what was a completely one-sided affair in the Women's ODI World Cup on Thursday. The Nigar Sultana-led side was dominant in both the batting and bowling departments during the match as they first bundled out the Women in Green for just 129 runs before chasing down the modest target in just 31.1 overs.
The spin duo of Shoma Akter and Nahida Akter took three and two scalps respectively while pacer Marufa Akter also contributed well by picking up two scalps. Each of their six bowlers got wickets as the Pakistan batters had no answer to Bangladesh's stunning bowling display.
Bangladesh batters helped them cruise to victory
In reply, despite losing opener Fargana Hoque early in the fourth over, Rubya Haider steadied the innings alongside skipper Nigar Sultana. The duo formed a big partneship of 62 runs, taking Bangladesh very close to the target. Though Sultana eventually lost her wicket in the 25th over for 23 runs, Rubya went on to remain unbeaten on 54 and was assisted well by Sobhana Mostary, who also remained unbeaten on 24. This saw Bangladesh chase down the target comfortably and make a strong start to their World Cup campaign.
After the match, Sultana stated that this victory is nothing short of massive for them and it will give them some much-needed momentum heading into their upcoming matches of the tournament.
"It was good toss to lose, I guess, because we also wanted to bat [first]. I told the girls that we needed wickets in the powerplay. Marufa is very young and mature. She knows her role very well, and is very confident. How she delivered was incredible. After the first innings, we talked about playing our natural game. Jhelik batted really well in her debut game. Sometimes you feel pressure when you lose an early wicket... We wanted to start with a win. It gives a momentum we can take into the rest of the tournament," Sultana stated.
Pakistan captain's verdict on the match
On the other hand, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana that them losing multiple wickets early in their innings proved to be the turning-point of the match and added that they will look to execute their plans better in their upcoming games.
"In the first couple of overs, we lost a couple of wickets. That was match-turning. We'll try to bounce back. We just collapsed early on. We'll try to execute our plans next time. Some players were playing for the first time in the World Cup. So there was pressure. Everyone is a match-winner. We just need to believe. It was a better pitch for the fast bowlers," Sana stated.
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Meanwhile, Bangladesh will be hoping to continue this form when they face-off against England in their next match on October 7. On the other hand, Pakistan will be taking on arch-rivals India in their next fixture on October 5.