The start of the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 was spectacular for the Bangladesh women's cricket team. In their opening match of the tournament, Bangladesh made a b start by defeating Pakistan by 7 wickets.
Sports News: Bangladesh delivered a brilliant performance in the Women's ODI World Cup match, defeating Pakistan. In the match played on Thursday, Bangladeshi bowlers showcased excellent bowling, restricting the entire Pakistan team to just 129 runs in 38.3 overs. 20-year-old fast bowler Marufa Akter took two wickets for 31 runs.
Chasing the target, Bangladesh scored 131 runs, losing three wickets in 31.1 overs. Batter Rubya Haider played an unbeaten half-century knock of 54 runs, guiding her team to a seven-wicket victory and ensuring a winning start to the tournament.
Pakistan's Innings Collapses
Batting first, the Pakistan team was bowled out for just 129 runs in 38.3 overs. The team had a disastrous start, with two of their batters returning to the pavilion in the very first over. Fast bowler Marufa Akter dealt a severe blow to Pakistan by dismissing Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin for ducks in the opening over itself. After this, the Pakistani team could never recover from the pressure.
For Pakistan, the highest scores came from Rameen Shamim (23) and Muneeba Ali (17), but they couldn't play significant innings. Pakistan's score was 47 runs for four wickets in the 14th over. After that, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and the entire team was bundled out for 129 runs.
Bangladesh Bowlers' Stellar Performance
The brilliance of Bangladesh's bowling was evident throughout the match. 20-year-old fast bowler Marufa Akter claimed 2 crucial wickets for 31 runs. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Nahida Akter dismissed Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim, completely halting Pakistan's innings. Additionally, other bowlers also bowled disciplined lines, giving Pakistan no opportunity to score freely.
The weak batting performance of the Pakistani batters can be gauged from the fact that only 14 fours were hit in the entire innings, with 4 of them coming during the powerplay. Furthermore, Nashra Sandhu was dismissed hit-wicket, which is a rare occurrence in women's cricket history.
Bangladesh Team Chases the Target
Chasing a small target of 130 runs, Bangladesh's start was not as expected. The team lost the wicket of Fargana Hoque for just 7 runs. A second blow came at 35 runs. However, Rubya Haider and captain Nigar Sultana then steadied the innings. A 62-run partnership for the third wicket between Haider and Sultana completely swung the match in Bangladesh's favor. Captain Sultana scored 23 runs, while Rubya Haider played a responsible unbeaten knock of 54 runs.
In the final moments of the match, Sobhana Mostary also contributed an unbeaten 24 runs, comfortably guiding the team to the target. Bangladesh registered a splendid seven-wicket victory, scoring 131 runs in 31.1 overs.
