Tigresses seal maiden win in Pakistan
Following in the footsteps of the men’s team, who clinched their first-ever T20I win over India on Sunday, the Bangladesh national women’s team registered their maiden victory over Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday.
The Tigresses sealed a nail-biting one-wicket win with just one ball to spare in the second of a two match ODI series, which the sides drew 1-1. The first ODI saw the hosts pull off a 29-run win against Bangladesh.
In chase of a challenging 211-run target, Bangladesh needed three runs to win off the last over with just one wicket in hand but Jahanara Alam and Nahida Akter stayed strong to ensure a memorable victory over their Pakistani counterparts.
Bangladesh made a steady start to their innings with Sharmin Sultana being the first to depart on 27. Fargana Hoque and opener Murshida Kahtun then added a valuable 82-run stand for the third wicket before the latter departed on 44 runs of 67 balls, which featured six fours.
Player-of-the-match and also the series, Fargana, strung together another valuable 57-run partnership with skipper Rumana Ahmed for the fourth wicket. Rumana was eventually forced to return to the dressing room with 31 runs.
However, after Fargana’s departure, who scored a team high 97-ball 67 featuring six boundaries, Bangladesh went on to lost their next five wickets for just 18 runs as the match took a bleak turn for the visitors. Eventually though, Jahanara and Nahida held their nerves and secured a dramatic win for Bangladesh.
Earlier, after electing to bat, Pakistan were all-out on 210 in 48.4 overs with Nahida Khan top scoring for the side with a 79-ball 63, including eight fours.
Bangladesh then pressed their attack as Rumana picked up three wickets while Salma Khatun took two. A fine fielding display from the Tigresses also claimed the wicket of four other Pakistani batters.
Earlier on their tour, the Tigresses succumbed to a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Pakistan in the T20I series. In contrast to the men’s team, who have never beaten Pakistan on their home soil, this was quite the landmark victory for Bangladesh. The Tigresses had also clinched the 2018 Asia Cup title, a feat their male counterparts have yet to achieve.
