The Bangladesh women’s cricket team got their dream to play at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. They hosted India for a three-match T20I series at the “home of cricket.”
It had been 11 years since the Tigresses had been to Mirpur, but they finally made it there yesterday and won the third T20I by four wickets with 10 balls left over. Even though Bangladesh lost the series 2-1, the Tigresses’ win was inspiring because they helped Bangladesh beat India for only the third time in 16 T20Is in front of family members who cheered them on.
India lost two wickets early on to Sultana Kahtun. However, Jemimah Rodrigues (28 runs off 26 balls) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (40 runs off 41 balls) put together a 45-run partnership that helped steady the ship until Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana’s sharp work behind the stumps got rid of both hitters.
Rabeya Khan, a leg spinner, did her magic in the last few overs to finish with three wickets for 16 and help India score only 102 for 9 in 20 overs.
In the Asia Cup last year, the Tigresses couldn’t beat Sri Lanka’s score of 41 in seven overs, and in the last game against India, the troops of Nigar lost their way even though they had five wickets in hand and only needed 14 from two overs.
But yesterday, Shamima Sultana’s 42-run knock made the difference at the top.
“I was in the middle with her, and I told her, “Shamima apu, stay at the gap.” I told her to keep going since she can play the shots. “I told her that the equation would be easy if she played for a long time,” Joty said about their 46-run stand.
Even though Shamima played well, the Tigresses lost Shamima and Shorna Akter in quick succession when they needed 18 runs in four overs. But Nahida Akter and Ritu Moni didn’t get nervous like they did in the last game.
Nahida said that their plan to take singles was the key to their win.
“The team’s plan was to take their time and focus on singles. We couldn’t take advantage of the chance in the last game, so I was waiting for another one. I’m glad I was able to do it today,” Nahida told The Daily Star. After the win, she was seen spending time with her niece and nephew.
Hashan Tilakratne, the head coach, might have been a little upset by the fact that Bangladesh could have won the series if they had batted the same way in the second T20I. But he saw something different. “Yeah, we could have won the series, but we’re getting better, and that’s important,” he told The Daily Star. The Tigresses are now preparing with more confidence for the upcoming three-match ODI series, which will also be played in Mirpur.