Tigresses fall short
Bangladesh women started their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign with an 18-run defeat to their Indian counterparts at the WACA in Perth yesterday.
The Tigresses, going up against an Indian side that got the better of the defending champions Australia by 17 runs in the tournament opener on February 21, went into the game as underdogs. In reply to India's 142 for six, the Tigresses could only manage 124 for eight.
India displayed their prowess in the way they started the game after being asked to bat. Despite losing opener Taniya Bhatia in the second over, the women in blue powered to 54 for two at the end of the six Powerplay overs. Shefali Verma, who contributed the most during that period to ensure a flying start, was however dismissed in the final over of the powerplay after a quickfire 17-ball 39 that featured two boundaries and four sixes.
However, the Tigresses did manage to regain some control with a few quick wickets and some excellent fielding display that helped put a lid on the scoring rate. However, the momentum of the game shifted at the end as Veda Krishnamurthy's quickfire unbeaten 11-ball 20 saw India pile up a challenging total.
And chasing down the total called for some firepower in the batting order and the Tigresses felt the lack of it immensely during their defeat. Murshida Khatun started proceedings brightly. The left-handed opener smashed a 26-ball 30, laced with four boundaries, before falling prey to Arundhati Reddy in the eighth over.
The Tigresses lost two quick wickets in the middle when Sanjida Islam and Fargana Hoque were dismissed in consecutive overs. Nigar Sultana's 26-ball 35 in the middle ignited some hope for the Tigresses, who were innovative with the bat, playing reverse sweeps, sweeps and cuts often. However, the Tigresses, who do not have a big hitter in their ranks, were still left wanting.
SCORES IN BRIEF
INDIA: 142 for 6 in 20 overs (Shafali 39, Rodrigues 34, Krishnamurthy 20 not out; Salma 2-25, Panna 2-25)
BANGLADESH: 124 for 8 in 20 overs (Murshida 30, Nigar 35, Fahima 17; Pandey 2-14, Reddy 2-33, Poonam 3-18)
Result: India women won by 18 runs.
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