Bangladesh Women secured a thrilling victory over Pakistan Women, winning by five wickets and sealing the deal with just three balls to spare in the opening T20I match.
This riveting contest took place at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on a Wednesday, setting the stage for an intense follow-up in the second T20I scheduled at the same venue this Friday, with the action set to commence at 1630 local time.
Bangladesh Women were tasked with chasing down a modest target of 83 runs for victory. As the game approached its climax, it was Nigar Sultana who emerged as the hero, holding her nerve and striking a crucial boundary to remain unbeaten at 26 runs (28 balls, 3x4s).
The Bangladeshi side faced a challenging situation, needing 26 runs from the final five overs with seven wickets still in hand.
Despite the hurdles posed by the Pakistani bowlers, Nigar’s captaincy and her partnership with other key players steered Bangladesh to victory, although they faced challenges like Diana Baig’s breakthrough and a crucial run-out.
The early stages of the match saw Pakistan’s bowlers applying pressure, conceding only 20 runs during the powerplay. The hosts could manage just one boundary during this phase, and to add to the pressure, their opening batter, Shamima Sultana, was run-out for a mere 5 runs off 9 balls.
At the 10-over mark, Bangladesh had reached 33 for the loss of two wickets, with 50 runs still needed from the remaining 10 overs. The off-spinner Umm-e-Hani delivered a pivotal blow by dismissing the well-settled Sobhana Mostary for 16 runs (25 balls, 2x4s) in the 10th over.
Later, left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu achieved a milestone, reaching 50 T20I wickets when she dismissed Murshida Khatun in the 15th over of the innings.
In their innings, Pakistan Women had earlier been put into bat and were bowled out for a total of 82 runs in 19.2 overs. Bismah Maroof, the experienced left-handed batter, was the top contributor with 20 runs off 29 balls.
She formed a crucial 31-run partnership with skipper Nida Dar, who scored 14 runs off 21 balls, including one boundary. Other notable contributions came from opening batter Muneeba Ali (16 runs, 19 balls, 3x4s) and Natalia Parvaiz (15 runs, 16 balls, 2x4s), both entering double figures.
The standout performer for Bangladesh was left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, who took an impressive five wickets for just eight runs in 3.4 overs, delivering her best figures in the T20I format.
