In the league play at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Monday, Bangladesh registered their first-ever Women’s World Cup match, defending 234 against Pakistan. Pakistan is winless after losing four matches in a row at the World Cup in New Zealand. Therefore, the historic victory of Bangladesh has moved them up to sixth place in the eight-team table.
It was also Bangladesh’s first win over Pakistan in a Women’s One-Day International. Intriguingly, Bangladesh’s men and women both won their first Cricket World Cup match in the tournament’s third encounter. In the 1999 World Cup in England, the men’s team defeated Scotland by 22 runs. Losing the toss, Bangladesh was put to bat first. Bangladesh made 234 runs in 50 overs while batting first. The leading scorer was Fargana Hoque (71 off 115b; 54). Sharmin Akhter (44 off 55b; 64) and skipper Nigar Sultana (46 off 64b; 14) provided excellent support. It was also Bangladesh’s highest score in one-day internationals.
Sidra Ameen scored Pakistan’s first-ever century in a Women’s World Cup match
Sidra Ameen scored Pakistan’s first-ever century in a Women’s World Cup match, but the team was defeated. But the opener’s efforts were fruitless, as Pakistan progressed from 183/2 to 188/7 before being restricted to 225/9.
“Very hard to digest. Some bad shots from the middle-order cost us the game,” Pakistan skipper Bisma Maroof said. “Ameen was playing well but she was disappointed she didn’t finish off the game. We should have chased it down but the shot selection let us down.”
Bangladesh, who were playing in their first women’s World Cup, had lost their first two games to South Africa and New Zealand, while Pakistan suffered their fourth defeat in as many games and their 18th consecutive loss in the tournament. Fahima Khatun (3/38) of Bangladesh was named player of the match for playing a key part in Pakistan’s middle-order collapse.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana was certainly brimming with exhilaration as Bangladesh closed out the tournament for their first-ever win at the Women’s World Cup.
“I think I can’t describe the feeling. This is a historic moment. We know Pakistan really well. We beat them in the qualifier as well. The girls have put in the hard work. A win gives you a lot of confidence. We are improving and we know we are a capable team,” the skipper said.
