BAN W VS PAK W MATCH 3

Right then, that's it from this contest. Bangladesh Women have got a winning start to the campaign with a 7-wicket victory over Pakistan. The next match of the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025, will be played between England Women vs South Africa Women on 3rd October 2025 at 9.30 am GMT. You can join us an hour early for the buildup. Cheers for now.

Bangladesh Women's captain Nigar Sultana Joty felt that losing the toss might have worked in their favor, as they would have opted to bat first anyway. She emphasized the importance of taking wickets during the Powerplay, which they executed well. Nigar praised Marufa Akter, describing her as young yet mature and confident in her role, and commended her incredible bowling performance. After the first innings, the team focused on playing their natural game, which paid off. She also highlighted Rubya Haider's impressive debut batting performance.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana reflected on the match, acknowledging that losing early wickets was a turning point. She emphasized the need for the team to bounce back and execute their plans better in the next match. Fatima noted that some players were experiencing their first World Cup, which added pressure, but she urged her team to believe in themselves, as every player has the potential to be a match-winner. She also mentioned that the pitch favored the fast bowlers.

MARUFA AKTER IS THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH. Marufa expressed gratitude towards her teammates for their support, particularly Shobana Mostary, who had encouraged her with kind words about her bowling skills. She also credited the team's analyst for predicting her success two months prior. Marufa attributed her impressive performance to her ability to maintain good swing, line, and length throughout the match. However, she humorously admitted to being momentarily perplexed while attempting a catch, unsure of the ball's trajectory.

Stay tuned for the presentation ...

Earlier, Bangladesh Women bowlers dominated the first innings, restricting Pakistan to 129 runs after they elected to bat first. Pakistan's innings was marred by a disastrous start, losing their first two wickets in the opening over, with Marufa Akter sending back Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin for golden ducks. Despite efforts by Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim to steady the innings, Pakistan struggled, losing 4 for 47 runs. No Pakistani batter played a significant knock, with Aliya Riaz and Captain Fatima Sana scoring 13 and 22 runs respectively. Shorna Akter was the standout bowler, taking 3/5 and bowling two consecutive wicket-maiden overs, while Marufa Akter and Nahida Akter took 2/31 and 2/19, respectively.

The Pakistan Women's bowling unit did a decent job, restricting Bangladesh's top order and keeping them on the back foot with early wickets. However, the low total of 129 runs ultimately didn't pose a significant challenge for Bangladesh Women, and they managed to overcome the obstacles to secure a win. Despite a strong bowling effort, Pakistan was unable to defend the total, and Bangladesh emerged victorious.

Bangladesh's chase got off to a shaky start, with them struggling to 23/2 in the first 10 overs. However, the partnership between the debutant Rubya Haider and Nigar Sultana Joty made life easy in that Bangladesh dressing room. Joty initiated the attack, and Rubya seamlessly took over, playing a clinical innings and going on to further remain unbeaten at 54. Together, they dismantled the Pakistani bowlers. Once Nigar Sultana Joty got out, Sobhana Mostary walked in and partnered with Rubya Haider to complete the chase with ease and secured a convincing 7-wicket win for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Women have kicked off their World Cup campaign with a convincing 7-wicket win over Pakistan Women! Bangladesh's bowlers dominated the match, restricting Pakistan to 129 runs. In response, Bangladesh chased down the target with ease, thanks to their clinical batting performance. This win sets a positive tone for Bangladesh's World Cup journey.

FOUR! Here are the winning runs and Sobhana Mostary hits them in the form of a boundary. Short and wide outside off, Sobhana Mostary cuts this through the cover-point region for a boundary to seal the deal. Bangladesh Women wins this game by 7 wickets.

Fuller on middle and leg, Rubya Haider pushes this to mid on for no run.

LEG BYE! Fired onto the pads, Sobhana Mostary misses out on the flick and gets it clipped off her pad towards square leg for a leg bye.

FOUR! Picture perfect from Sobhana Mostary. Fuller around middle and off, Sobhana Mostary strides to the pitch of the delivery and drives this all along the ground through the extra cover region fo four runs.

Floated around off, Sobhana Mostary rocks back and blocks this out.

Tossed up around middle and off, Rubya Haider sweeps this to deep square for one.

Short of a length around middle and leg, Rubya Haider tucks this to the leg side for a dot.