Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty led from the front once again notching up her 2nd consecutive half-century (83* off 59 balls), playing a crucial role as Bangladesh clinched a comfortable victory by 34 runs in the previous game. The Bangladesh skipper was also awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning performance with the bat for her side.
In a short turnaround, riding high on confidence, skipper Nigar Sultana Joty was all set to lead Bangladesh against the Hayley Matthews-led West Indies at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, in the 11th match of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier 2025, a must-win encounter for the West Indies.
Sharmin Akhter comes to the rescue for Bangladesh with a fighting half-century
Bangladesh lost the wicket of their opening batter, Sobhana Mostary, in the 5th over of the innings, after skipper Nigar Sultana Joty won the toss and opted to bat first. Chenille Henry provided the first breakthrough for the West Indies. Sharmin Akhter joined Fargana Hoque at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a massive 118-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take them closer to the 150-run mark.
The partnership placed them in a strong position to post a total of over 250. Aaliyah Alleyne broke the ominous stand by sending Fargana Hoque (42 off 78 balls) back to the pavilion in the 28th over of the innings to provide the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for her side. She fell just 8 runs short of her well-deserved half-century.
Bangladesh suffered a horrible collapse as they lost their last seven wickets for just 93 runs, and as a result, were restricted to 227/9 in their quota of 50 overs. Sharmin Akhter (67 off 79 balls) top-scored with the bat, completing her 3rd half-century in the tournament. Nahida Akter (25 off 39 balls), Rabeya Khan (23* off 20 balls), and Ritu Moni (15 off 26 balls) chipped in with crucial contributions with the bat, propelling them past the 200-run mark.
Aaliyah Alleyne (9-2-39-4) was the stand-out performer with the ball, while Afy Fletcher (10-0-43-2), Hayley Matthews (9.5-0-42-2), Chenille Henry (7-1-38-1), and Ashmini Munisar (8-1-34-0) were impressive with the ball for the West Indies.
Chenille Henry’s unbeaten half-century guides West Indies to a crucial win
Chasing a target of 228, the West Indian openers Zaida James and Qiana Joseph got their side off to a steady start with a 26-run opening partnership. Jannatul Ferdus cleaned up Zaida James in the 6th over of the run chase to provide the first breakthrough for Bangladesh. Shemaine Campbelle joined Qiana Joseph at the crease, and the duo took the game forward at a brisk rate en route to their 34-run partnership for the 2nd wicket.
Rabeya Khan broke the stand, sending Qiana Joseph (31 off 39 balls) back to the pavilion in the 14th over of the run chase. Wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle (24 off 32 balls) soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Bangladesh. Skipper Hayley Matthes joined Stefanie Taylor at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a crucial 66-run partnership for the 4th wicket, taking them closer to the 150-run mark.
Marufa Akter broke the stand, sending the opposition skipper Hayley Matthews (33 off 45 balls) back to the pavilion in the 30th over of the run chase. A crucial 50-run 6th wicket partnership between Shabika Gajnabi (20 off 30 balls), and Chinelle Henry, followed by another crucial 30-run 7th wicket partnership between Aaliyah Alleyne (11 off 10 balls) and Chinelle Henry (51* off 48 balls), played a crucial role as West Indies eventually got over the line with three wickets in hand and four overs to spare.
Chenille Henry stayed unbeaten on a half-century, guiding her side over the line to seal a crucial victory for her side. Stafanie Taylor (36 off 51 balls), Shabika Gajnabi (20 off 30 balls) chipped in with crucial contributions with the bat for the West Indies.
Marufa Akter (9-2-38-2), Nahida Akter (8-1-31-1), Fahima Khatun (7-0-30-1), and Rabeya Khan (9-1-49-1) were the top performers with the ball for Bangladesh. Aaliyah Alleyne was awarded the Player of the Match for her bowling returns of 9-2-39-4 and also added 11 (10 balls) with the bat.
