Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh women’s team made a sensational start in the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup as they beat their Australian counterparts in their first match by seven-wicket at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Saturday.
Dilara Akter scored 40 off 42 while Sumaiya Akter and Shorna Akter remained not out on 31 and 23 runs respectively to reach 132 losing just three wickets with 12 balls to spare.
Bangladesh lost opener Misty Shaha in the first ball of the innings but every other batter kept their head cool to chase down the target of 131.
Earlier in the day, Australia decided to bat first after winning the toss but Bangladeshi bowlers kept them in check.
One-down Claire Moore scored 52 but consumed 51 balls while Ella Hayward scored 35 off 39.
Opening bowlers Marufa Akter and Disha Bishwas grabbed two wickets apiece for Bangladesh while Dipa Khatun played a pivotal role restricting Australia as she conceded just 16 runs bowling four overs.
Bangladesh had entered the tournament in fine form after strong performances in the warm-up matches.
But this landmark and deserved victory over Australia is an early indication that this is going to be a wide open tournament.
