India Women and Bangladesh Women locked horns in the summit clash of Women's Asia Cup T20 at the Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (June 10).
Bangladesh skipper Shamima Sultana won the toss and opted to bowl first. India got off to a terrible start as they lost their first four wickets for just 32 runs. If it was not for captain Harmapreet Kaur’s well-composed 56 runs off 42 balls with seven boundaries, the Women in Blue could have bundled out for less than a hundred.
Rumana Ahmed was the stand-out bowler for Bangladesh as she claimed 2 for 22 in her 4 overs to restrict India to 112/9 in 20 overs. Khadija Tul Kubra (4-0-23-2) was another notable star with the ball for Bangladesh.
In reply, Bangladesh got off to a reasonable start with Shamima Sultana and Ayasha Rahman adding 35 runs for the opening wicket. When things were looking down and out for India, leg-spinner Poonam Yadav stepped up to the plate and dented the Bangladesh batting line-up with three quick wickets.
All of a sudden Bangladesh were in a spot of bother at 55/3 in 11.4 overs. Nigar Sultana (27 runs off 24 balls) though had a different plan in mind as she forged a quick 28-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Rumana to bring the Bangladesh innings back on track.
Poonam removed Nigar in the 16th over and then Harmanpreet followed it Fahima Khatun’s wicket two overs later. Nonetheless, Rumana stayed firm at her crease. As Bangladesh were needing 9 runs in the final over off Kaur, Rumana produced a boundary in the second ball before getting run-out in the fifth delivery for 23.
Jahanara Alam scored two runs in the final delivery to seal the thrilling chase for Bangladesh with three wickets in hand. It was Bangladesh’s second win over India in this year’s Asia Cup. They had defeated the Women in Blue by 7 wickets in the league clash.
With this exhilarating victory, Bangladesh Women also created a history as they became the second team after India to lift the Women's Asia Cup.
Brief Scores:
India Women – 112/9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 56; Rumana Ahmed 2/22) lost to Bangladesh Women – 113/7 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 27; Poonam Yadav 4/9) by 3 wickets.
