Southampton, June 20: Bangladesh kept their semi-final hopes alive and pushed Pakistan to the brink of elimination with a clinical 23-run victory in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, on Saturday.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Bangladesh found themselves in deep trouble early on. The Pakistan bowlers struck quick, and their disciplined blowing reduced Bangladesh to 23/3 by the end of the Powerplay.
Captain Nigar Sultana (28) and Sobhana Mostary engineered a gritty 35-run partnership. Pakistan bowlers, however, struck at regular intervals, threatening to restrict Bangladesh to a sub-100 total
The momentum shifted in the death overs thanks to Shorna Akter. Coming in at number seven, she played a blistering 39 to catapult Bangladesh to a competitive 123/6.
Pakistan’s chase began with absolute authority.
However, the introduction of Bangladesh’s spin attack triggered a catastrophic collapse. Nahida Akter (3/18) and Sanjida Akter Meghla (3/21) tore through the batting order and helped Bangladesh register a famous win. (Agencies)
