BAN-W vs SCO-W

So, that does it for the very first match of the T20 World Cup, 2024! But stay tuned to our coverage as the second game is just around the corner. Pakistan Women will take on Sri Lanka Women in Sharjah itself. You can click here and get all you need with our coverage! For now, this is the pair of Arya and Bidipto taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Nigar Sultana (Bangladesh Women captain): We have been waiting for this moment for ten years! It means a lot for us! This is the kind of wicket which isn't the easiest for batting, especially up front. Sathi Rani and Sobhana Mostary did a good job with their partnership. The conditions are hot and taxing, and we ran hard between the wickets, but the runs we put on the board were enough for out spinners and Marufa. The reason why I didn't come out to bat ahead of Taj Nehar, is because she was really good in the warm-up games. Unfortunate that she got out early, but watch out for her. We definitely look forward to England now, let's see how it goes! 

Kathryn Bryce (Scotland Women captain): I think it was always going to be tough in the weather and with the nerves, but we've done a decent job hopefully. It's great to get out there and put in the work. Personally, tried my best too. We should have been better in the field no doubt, and some runs towards the end can also do as we go along. 

Ritu Moni is the Player of the Match, here is what she had to say: This is a very slow wicket so I wanted pace variations and I am happy that I was successful. We came here prepared. We worked hard for the last one year. We will try and take the game deep in each and every challenges we face. We all tried to stick to our bowling strengths. We were successful as we managed to access the conditions pretty well.

Bangladesh Women win by 16 runs!

Sobhana Mostary 36 (38) | Ritu Moni - 2/15 (4)
Sarah Bryce 49* (52) | Saskia Horley - 3/13 (2)

Group B gets off to a great start for Bangladesh Women, as they register their first victory away from home in T20 World Cup history! The impressive performances in all three departments got the job done for them. 

Scotland Women gave a few runs too many in the last couple of overs when they bowled, and, scored way too less boundaries in their batting innings to fall quite some distance short, even with opening batter Sarah Bryce remaining not out. But even she will be disappointed as after facing more than 50 deliveries, she could not get to 50 runs! 

Only five boundaries were registered by Scotland in the entire innings, only five! That, against a good spin-bowling attack on a responsive pitch, isn't good news. 

Every bowler who bowled for Bangladesh, went for less than 6.00 RPO. But the spinners were superb! Ritu Moni, their medium pacer, shone through with her variations. Her pace made it really difficult for the batters to play shots through the line. 

Even though the fielding can get better, in comparison to the effort of Scotland, Bangladesh were better on the whole. They created more chances and converted more of them. 

A performance to savour for Nigar Sultana and her team, but some learnings to take for Kathryn Bryce and her girls going forward.

19.6 Marufa Akter to Sarah Bryce, on a length a shade outside off, Bryce bunts it down the ground, towards the long-off fielder and comes back for a brace. Bangladesh Women end up winning  by 16 runs. 

19.5 Marufa Akter to Sarah Bryce, on a fullish-length outside off, Sarah tris to carve it away over the cover-point region, an easy chance goes down and a couple of runs taken. 

19.4 Marufa Akter to Sarah Bryce, on a length well wide outside off, Bryce carves it away over the .cover fielder and has enough time to come back for a brace. 

19.3 Marufa Akter to Sarah Bryce, on a fullish-length a shade outside off, Bryce clears her front leg and swings across the line, gets beaten all ends up. 

Sameer: This has been a fine performance all round from Bangladesh. They should be sticking to this approach of batting first, putting runs on the board and working things up with spin later on. 

19.2 Marufa Akter to Sarah Bryce, again a fullish-length delivery angling into Bryce, swiped across the line towards the deep midwicket region, Bryce comes back for a brace. 

19.1 Marufa Akter to Abtaha Maqsood, on a fullish-length around off and middle, Maqsood clears his front leg and squirts it off the bottom half of the bat, down towards the mid-on fielder for a single. 

Marufa Akter [2.0-0-8-1] comes back into the attack.

Nahida seems to have hurt herself trying to take the catch. In all likelihood, her throat landed on the ball. That doesn't help for a while to catch breath, does it? Again, the question is, what's the need to go for a catch like this which is difficult? 

18.6 Nahida Akter to Abtaha Maqsood, tossed-up delivery around the middle stump, Maqsood ends up getting a top edge, Nahida tracks back and launches a full-fledged dive for the catch, couldn't quite get her fingers around that, a single taken. 

18.5 Nahida Akter to Katherine Fraser, WICKET! One more bites the dust and Bangladesh just moments away from registering their first victory in T20 World Cup since ten years. Fraser comes down the track and couldn't quite get to the pitch of the ball, goes through with a nothing shot and the long-off fielder Rabeya Khan the second time lucky.

Katherine Fraser c Rabeya Khan b Nahida Akter 2 (4b, 0x4, 0x6)