No more Super Overs: Joty
Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty jested saying she wasn't looking forward to any more Super Overs after Bangladesh pulled off a series-saving win in the second ODI of the three-match series against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
Nigar and Co clinched the match in a Super Over thriller where they chased down eight, with the skipper hitting the winning runs with a lofted drive down the ground when Bangladesh needed two runs off the final delivery bowled by left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu. The win kept the series alive at 1-1, with the finale scheduled to take place on Thursday at the same venue.
"I think this is a very big experience, a learning one. This might happen to us at a stage like the World Cup. So, we would know how to respond to such situations by trying, learning, and playing. But I don't want any more Super Overs," Joty told reporters in the post-match press conference yesterday.
Player-of-the-match Nigar helped her side post 169 for nine in 50 overs with a 104-ball 54. She was in the thick of things on the field as well, completing two stumpings and a couple of run-outs.
"I saw the field setup first. I play the slog-sweep quite well. When I saw that square-leg was up, I was thinking whether to go over or not," the captain said while explaining her thought process during the crunch moments.
"Then my thoughts were about hitting straight, anywhere down the ground because the fielders were placed wide. I really like to loft the ball and when I saw that mid-off was up, I just went for it. It was a gamble as I couldn't connect well in the previous 50 overs. When I saw the fielder was up, I just played straight," she added.
Pakistan openers Sadaf Shamas and Sidra Ameen gave their side a steady start with a 41-run stand before off-spinner Nishita Akter Nishi and leggie Fahima Khatun got rid of them.
One of the three leg-spinners in Bangladesh's rank, Rabeya Khan took out three of Pakistan's first five batters, including skipper Nida Dar, who top-scored with a 47-ball 27, to bundle out the visitors for 169 with one ball to spare, taking the match to a Super Over contest.