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Following a blip against Pakistan, Bangladesh Women’s national cricket team got their Asia Cup 2022 campaign back on track as the defending champions handed Malaysia an 88-run defeat at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground 1 on Thursday.
In the day’s second match at Ground 1, Bangladesh managed to post 129-5 after opting to bat first, courtesy of Murshida Khatun and skipper Nigar Sultana Joty.
In reply, Malaysia were stormed by a hat-trick from debutant Fariha Trishna as she picked up three for 12 runs, breaking the Malaysian batting spine, while the string of spinners in Fahima Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Salma Khatun and Sanjida Akhtr Meghla tightened the screws and inflicted further damage scalping seven wickets amongst them.
Things did not go as planned for the women in red and green as they lost opener Shamima Sultana for nought in the very first ball of the innings, courtesy of pacer Sasha Azmi. This set them back a bit as they lost Fargana Haque in the ninth over with only 34 on the board.
But the other opener Murshida Khatun and Nigar stitched up an 87-run partnership to drive the Bangladesh innings. Both batters reached their fifties but couldn’t take the momentum through to the end as Bangladesh ended at 129-5; Murshida hit six fours to make 56 off 54 balls before being run out, while Nigar gave out to Winifred Duraisingam after she smashed 53 runs off 34 balls, including six fours and one six.
Chasing a total of 129, Malaysia chose a watchful start grinding out 12 runs in the first five overs. But then came Trisna for her third over. The left-arm medium used her natural in-swing to the right-hander to castle opener Duraisingam for her first. In an identic delivery, she trapped Mas Elysa lbw, and to cap it off, she swung it past the defence of Mahira Izzati Ismail for nought leaving Malaysia at 3-13 following the end of the first six.
That over proved to be decisive as it broke the batting spine of Malaysia as the batters who followed failed to produce any meaningful resistance as they were bundled out for 41 in the 19th over. No batter could manage to reach double figures as Elsa Hunter and Nur Arianna Natsya jointly top-scored with nine.
Besides Trisna’s hat-trick, the seven wickets were shared by the spinners- Salma (1), Fahima (2), Rumana (2), and Sanjida (2).
Nigar was adjudged the player of the match for her 53.
With this win, Bangladesh stand third in the points table behind India and Pakistan respectively.