In a bid to keep their semi-final hope alive in the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup, Bangladesh beat Thailand by a comprehensive margin of seven wickets in Dambula on Monday. Bangladesh will now face Malaysia today (Wednesday) in a must win game to confirm their semi-final spot.
The win against Thailand was down to leggie Rabeya Khan, whose resolute bowling restricted Thailand to a meagre 96/9 in 20 overs. She scalped 4 wickets and gave away only 14 runs in her 4 allotted overs. Other bowlers Ritu Moni and Sakibun Nahar grabbed 2 wickets each.
After a sheer performance from the bowlers, batters wasted no time to clinch the win. Openers Dilara Akhter and Murshida Khatun took the advantage of the power play to score some quick runs. Bangladesh scored 39/1 in the first six overs as Dilara was unfortunately dismissed via a run out.
After Dilara’s dismissal, Murshida and Isma Khatun forged a formidable partnership for the second wicket stand. Their 60-run
partnership lasted for 14.1 overs and took Tigresses close to victory. Murshida picked up her half century off 54 balls. Before being dismissed, the left hand opener played a superb 55-ball 50, consisting of 8 boundaries. Later, Isma and Ritu accumulated rest of the runs and gave Bangladesh a well-deserved victory.
