The women’s national cricket team of Bangladesh is presently in Zimbabwe for the World Cup Qualifier 2021 competition. They defeated Pakistan by three wickets in their group B opener. Bangladesh Women’s team has solidified their position in the points table with this victory. If the Tigresses win at least two more games they will finish in the top three in the points standings and qualify for the Super Six. Let’s look at Bangladesh’s brilliant victory against Pakistan and the Women’s Cricket World Cup qualification scenario.
Bangladesh Women’s team beat Pakistan in their first match of the Women’s World Cup qualifier 2021.
Bangladesh’s newly appointed Captain Nigar Sultana chose to bat first against Pakistan in Harare. Bangladesh bowlers unsettled Pakistan’s top and middle orders in the first 20 overs, proving that her selection was a wise one.
Pakistan were reduced to 49/5 in just 17.5 overs. However, Pakistan made a great recovery in the innings courtesy of a 137-run partnership between Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz. Nida Dar scored the most runs with 87, while Aliya Riaz stayed undefeated with 61*. The Pakistan Women’s team eventually finished their innings for 201/7 in their allotted 50 overs.
Nahida Akhter was outstanding with the ball for Bangladesh. She took two wickets for only 25 runs in 10 overs, while Ritu Moni also grabbed two wickets.
In response, the Bangladesh Women’s team lost Murshida Khatun early in the innings, but a 70-run partnership between Sharmin Akhter (31) and Fargana Haque (45) kept Bangladesh in the contest. But it was Rumana Ahmed and Ritu Moni’s fifth-wicket partnership that proved decisive. Bangladesh were 98/4 in 35.1 overs, needing quick runs to reach the target. Rumana and Ritu then put up a 61-run stand with a run-a-ball strike rate.
Ritu returned to the pavilion following 33-run innings. On the other hand, Rumana stayed at the crease till the end and ensured Bangladesh’s triumph with a blazing 50* off 44 balls. Nashra Sandhu of Pakistan took the most wickets for her team with two.
Bangladesh won the match by three wickets with two balls to spare, and Rumana Ahmed was named player of the match.
Qualifier Scenario: Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022
The ongoing Women’s World Cup Qualifier is being held in Zimbabwe from November 21 to December 5, 2021. The competition has a total of nine teams, separated into two groups. Initially, 10 teams were scheduled to compete in the competition, but Papua New Guinea withdrew from the competition after numerous players were diagnosed with covid-19. The ICC later announced that Papua New Guinea would not be replaced.
Each group’s top three teams will proceed to the Super Six phase. The Super Six’s top three teams will qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand. They will be joined by five qualified teams: Australia, England, India, South Africa, and the host New Zealand. The twelfth edition of the Women’s World Cup will be held from March 4 to April 3, 2022.
In Group A of qualifiers, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies are competing. On the other side, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Zimbabwe are in Group B.
Bangladesh’s next three matches are against the United States on November 23, Thailand on November 25, and Zimbabwe on November 29.
Bangladesh women’s cricket team has gone from strength to strength since winning the 2018 Asia Cup by defeating India in the final. In recent years, Bangladesh women’s team has had considerable success against stronger opponents in international cricket. The victory against Pakistan in the qualifier indicated that they are no longer a weak team.
Following a strong start to the campaign, the Tigresses are now the clear favourites to finish first in Group B. Their biggest hurdle will come in the Super Six, when they will face some strong opponents in their quest for a place in the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Source: United News of Bangladesh