Bangladesh Women beat Thailand Women in their first win of the Women’s Asia Cup tournament at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. The game took place on Monday, July 22. The Tigresses had earlier lost to the hosts Sri Lanka by a whopping seven wickets in their opening encounter at the same venue on Saturday, July 20.
On Monday, Thailand elected to bat first after winning the toss and were almost bowled out inside their quota of twenty overs. But, as things stand, they were not and managed to remain at 96-9 at the end of the innings. Rabeya Khan showcased impressive figures of 4-14 to help dismantle the Thai innings and push them almost to the brink of extinction by the time the sultry evening ended.
Promising opening batter Nattaya Boochatham top-scored for the Thai side with an impressive 40 off 41 balls which consisted of four boundaries. She was the only batter in her side to cross the twenty-run mark. The next highest score was 17 from Suleeporn Laomi in the lower order. Saibkun Nahar and Ritu Moni picked up some wickets to assist Rabeya in the Bangladesh bowling department.
Bangladesh chased these runs down in just 17.3 overs, with opener Murshida Khatun scoring an even 50 off 55 deliveries. Her fellow opener, Dilara Akter, and number three, Ishma Tanjim, got off to starts. Yet, they could not quite convert them into considerable scores.
In the end, all-rounder Ritu Moni and Rumana Ahmed took the Bangladeshis past the finishing line. This result keeps the semifinal hopes alive for Nigar Sultana’s side. Yet, they must win their next game against Malaysia Women and hope that Sri Lanka Women beat Thailand Women.
