Murshida, Joty help Tigresses post their second highest WT20I total

Murshida Khatun struck a career-best 80 off 59 balls while skipper Nigar Sultana Joty made an unbeaten 62 off 37 balls as Bangladesh national women's team posted a colossal total of 191-2 in their stipulated 20 overs against Malaysia in their last Group B match of the Women's T20 Asia Cup in Dambulla on Wednesday.

It was Bangladesh's second highest total in this format, the highest being 255-2 against Maldives during the 2019 SA Games in Pokhara where both Joty and Fargana Hoque had struck unbeaten hundreds.

That match in the SA Games was initially not considered as a WT20I but later, the ICC recognised the match as an international fixture.

Bangladesh's total of 158-1 against their USA counterparts during ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi, UAE is now their third highest total in this format.

Murshida's innings featured 10 fours and a six and she put up 65 runs with Dilara Akter (33) to set a solid platform for the Tigresses after they elected to bat first.

Following the departure of Dilara, the southpaw added a quickfire 89-run stand with Joty to take Bangladesh's score over the 150-run mark before Murshida fell to Elsa Hunter in the 17th over, missing out on her maiden hundred in this format.

It was Murshida's second consecutive half-century in the tournament after being not included in the first match against Sri Lanka.

Joty then hammered Malaysian bowlers in the death overs and also completed her eighth WT20I fifty to help Bangladesh post the second highest total in this tournament.

India's 201-5 against UAE in a Group A match is the highest total of the tournament.