Nigar Sultana helped Bangladesh create history in women's T20I cricket as she helped her side chase down the target of 146 against Sri Lanka. Sultana scored an unbeaten 75 off 51 deliveries to guide Bangladesh to a six-wicket win in a last-ball thriller at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on May 9.
Navgire's 75 is also the highest score by a Bangladesh batter against a full-member nation in women's T20Is. She broke her own record of 67 against Ireland last year.
The previous record for highest successful run chase against Sri Lanka in T20Is belonged to India. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side chased down 135 from 15.4 overs in a rain-curtailed game where Jemimah Rodrigues and Anuja Patil scored unbeaten half- centuries.
Earlier, Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapththu won the toss and chose to bat first. Vishmi Gunaratne got out early after scoring 11 runs from eight balls. Athapaththu and Harshitha Madavi shared a 48-run partnership for the second-wicket. Nahida Akter broke the partnership in the ninth over. The skipper scored 38 runs from 28 deliveries including two fours and three sixes. Madavi missed her half-century as she lost her wicket to Sultana Khatun in the 16th over.
Fahima Khatun struck twice in the 17th over to dismiss Hasini Perera and Kavisha Dilhari. Nilakshi de Silv stayed unbeaten till the end with 29 runs from 28 balls to guide Sri Lanka to a fighting total of 145/6.
In the run chase, Bangladesh lost both their openers early in the innings. Kawya Kavindi got Shamima Sultana's wicket in the second over whereas ubya Haider got dismissed by Udeshika Prabodhani.
Sobhana Mostary and Sultana got the run chase back on track. Mostary struggled to even rotate the strike whereas Sultana did the heavy lifting. Sultana got to her half-century from 36 deliveries. In the final five overs, Bangladesh needed 47 runs.
She found the perfect partner in Ritu Moni but no boundaries were scored in the next two fours. Moni got the momentum on visitors' side with a boundary in the 18th over. It was the penultimate over that changed the game. First Moni hit a four. On the last two balls, Sultana hit a six and a four to leave only eight runs for the final over.
In the final over, Moni started off with a boundary. She got out off the fourth ball of the over but scores were level at that time. Sultana took a single off the last ball to seal Bangladesh's record win. Moni's 23-ball 33 cameo included four fours. On the other end, Sultana's 51-ball 73 was studded with seven fours and two sixes.
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