Scotland vs Bangladesh: Bangladesh Opt to Bat First in Women’s T20 World Cup Opener
In the inaugural match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana elected to bat first after winning the toss against Scotland at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium.
Scotland, making their tournament debut, have a 0-4 record against Bangladesh in T20Is, with their last encounter in September 2022. However, Bangladesh has not tasted victory in a T20 World Cup match in a decade.
This edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup marks the first time the tournament is being held at a neutral venue.
Bangladesh’s Batting Performance
Bangladesh openers Shamima Sultana and Murshida Khatun provided a solid start, putting on a 45-run partnership. Shamima, in particular, looked in good touch, hitting some elegant boundaries.
However, Scotland’s bowlers fought back, with Katherine Fraser dismissing both openers in quick succession. Bangladesh continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, with only Fargana Hoque (27) and Rumana Ahmed (22) offering significant resistance.
Scotland’s Bowling Effort
Scotland’s bowlers were disciplined and accurate, making it difficult for Bangladesh to score freely. Fraser was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/22. Sarah Bryce and Abtaha Maqsood also chipped in with two wickets each.
Scotland’s Batting Chase
In response, Scotland got off to a shaky start, losing opener Sarah Bryce early. However, skipper Kathryn Bryce and Rachel Slater steadied the innings with a 40-run partnership.
Slater played a particularly aggressive innings, hitting three boundaries and a six. But Bangladesh’s bowlers kept the pressure on, with Nahida Akter and Rumana Ahmed taking two wickets each.
Bangladesh’s Victory
Despite a valiant effort from Scotland, Bangladesh managed to defend their total of 120/8. The Scottish batters were unable to find the boundaries consistently, and the Bangladeshi fielders were sharp in the field.
Bangladesh ultimately won the match by 18 runs, securing their first victory in a T20 World Cup match since 2014.
