Rumana Ahmed’s historic hat-trick helped Bangladesh women’s cricket team beat Ireland by 10 runs to win the third one-day international of the series and take the three-match series 1-0 in Belfast on Saturday. The third ODI was not originally scheduled in the series but was added after the first ODI was abandoned without a ball bowled. Only 18 over’ play was possible in the second match after it was curtailed to a 47-over-per-side affair.
Bangladesh had earlier lost the T20I series 0-1.
Bangladesh made a lowly 106 runs in 40.1 over before Rumana became the first ever Bangladeshi woman to pick a hat-trick in an ODI to help bundled out the hosts for 96 runs in 37.5 overs.
Apart from two run outs all other dismissals were done by Bangladeshi spinners as leg spinner Rumana got three, off spinner Khadija tul Kubra and leg spinner Fahima Khatun grabbed two each and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter bagged one wicket.
Rumana, who ended with a figure of 3-20, dismissed Kim Garth, Clare Shillington and Mary Waldron, all scoring ducks, in consecutive deliveries through leg-before wicket to leave the score 7-84, which had effectively thrown out of the contest.
Chasing the small total Irish woman got off to a solid start as their openers Meg Kendal (23) and Cecelia Joyce made a 52-run opening stand before Bangladesh off-spinner trapped Kendal leg before and clean bowled one-down Shauna Kavanagh in the very next ball.
Cecelia, the highest scorer of the match, was run out when the score was 66 and 13 runs later her twin sister Isobel got back to the pavilion in the bowling of Nahida adding only two runs on the board.
Rumana’s triple strike jolted the Irish chase and Fahima got two more wickets including skipper Laura Delany, who was out as the ninth batter after scoring 26, to reduce Ireland to 9-96.
Number 11 Clara Metcalfe ran herself out in the same score to make the visitors ecstatic.
Earlier in the day after winning the toss Bangladesh women made a shambolic start as half of their batters went back to pavilion with only a total of 25 runs on the board.
Opener Sanjida Islam, who made highest 33 runs, added 44 runs with Ritu Moni (13) to salvage the side. Both the batters got out in space of just four runs but skipper Jahanara Alam (14) and Nahida added 32 runs in the eighth wicket to get their score past 100.
Opening bowler Amy Kenealy got 4-32 for hosts.
-With New Age input
