Bangladesh end winless drought, Fatima Sana shines for Pakistan

Bangladesh recorded their first win in Women's T20 World Cup in a decade on the opening day of the tournament against first-timers Scotland on Thursday (October 3). The game was followed by Fatima Sana's Pakistan getting the better of Asian champions Sri Lanka. Both the fixtures were played in Sharjah. 

Nigar Sultana Joty, who was playing her 100th T20I match, won the toss and elected to bat first in extreme hot conditions of the Middle East. Bangladesh began their innings at an average pace, before Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce dismissed opening batter Murshida Khatun in the fifth over. The batting side slowed down, playing below the run rate of six runs. Shathi Rani was the second batter to depart, thanks to Katherine Fraser. New batter Taj Nehar took no time to leave the crease as she was involved in an awful mix-up and failed to make it back to the line.

Sobhana Mostary tried shifting gears by going down the track, but completely missed the shot, gifting an easy stumping to Sarah Bryce and a wicket to Olivia Bell. Fahima Khatun hit two boundaries towards the end of the first innings to give Bangladesh a sigh of relief, but the team still managed to put only 119 runs on the scoresheet at the loss of seven wickets. Saskia Horley was Scotland's most productive bowler, picking up three wickets. 

Scotland were also off to a shaky start with vice-captain Sarah being the only batter who looked comfortable throughout. Horley was the first departing batter, falling victim to Fahima. Kathryn, looking to build a solid partnership with her sister, started off by hitting two boundaries early in her innings, but was sent back to the dugout in the very next over by Marufa Akter. After the skipper's dismissal, Scotland slowed down even further. Ailsa Lister tried going over the top to reduce the pressure, but the ball ended up in Rabeya Khan's hands and Ritu Moni got her first wicket.

Sarah continued to fight, but kept losing her partners in quick succession. Priyanaz Chatterji was run out after being involved in a terrible mix-up. Moni picked her second as Darcey Carter was dismissed for two runs. As more wickets kept falling, Scotland succumbed to the pressure and failed to reach the total, putting a total of 103 runs at the loss of seven wickets in their first Women's T20 World Cup outing. Moni was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive bowling display.

Pakistan masterclasss

As for the all-Asian clash, Fatima Sana won the toss and went with the same decision Joty did in the afternoon. Batting first, Pakistan didn't begin their innings as they planned, losing Gull Feroza in the second over. Two overs later, Sugandika Kumari picked her second wicket by dismissing Muneeba Ali. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu joined the party by trapping Sidra Amin into attacking her, but the batter mistimed the shot and gave an easy catch to the bowler. 

Kavisha Dilhari was the next bowler to strike for Sri Lanka. She placed another trap for Omaima Sohail to make her attack the ball, and succeeded with it. Former captain Nida Dar was clean bowled by Udeshika Prabodhani, and Athapaththu got two Pakistani batters in a row, removing Tuba Hassan and Aliya Riaz. Fatima arrived at the wicket on 74/7, and turned out to be the saving grace for Pakistan. She played a captain's knock, scoring 30 runs off 20 balls to take her team to the score of 116 in 20 overs. 

Despite having to chase an easy target, the Sri Lankan batting unit struggled from the get-go. The dangerous Athapaththu was sent back to the pavilion for six runs by Fatima in a captains' face-off. Harshitha Samarawickrama, who impressed in the Asia Cup 2024 back in July, also left the crease for seven runs. Hasini Perera followed her way as well with Pakistan quickly turning the tide. 

From there on, it was a complete collapse for Sri Lanka's batting lineup. They only managed to score 85 runs in 20 overs at the loss of nine wickets. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal claimed three wickets, while Nida, Nashra Sandhu and Fatima picked two wickets each. The 22-year-old skipper was given the Player of the Match award for her all-round display.

Brief scores

Bangladesh 119/7 in 20 overs (Sobhana Mostary 36, Shathi Rani 29; Saskia Horley 3/13) beat Scotland 103/7 in 20 overs (Sarah Bryce 49*; Ritu Moni 2/15) by 16 runs. POTM: Ritu Moni

Pakistan 116/10 in 20 overs (Fatima Sana 30, Nida Dar 23; Chamari Athapaththu 3/18, Sugandika Kumari 3/19, Udeshika Prabodhani 3/20) beat Sri Lanka 85/9 in 20 overs (Nilakshi de Silva 22, Vishmi Gunaratne 20; Sadia Iqbal 3/17, Fatima Sana 2/10) by 31 runs. POTM: Fatima Sana