Murshida leads ‘attack from the beginning’ mindset

For a while, Murshida Khatun had been on and off from the lineup of the Bangladesh women's cricket team. Even in Bangladesh's crucial Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka, Murshida's name was missing from the lineup. However, she staked her claim as a resurgent opener this Asia Cup in their thumping 114-run win against Malaysia in Dambulla yesterday as Bangladesh ensured semifinal clash against India. 

Her career-best 59-ball 80, continuing on from her fifty in the previous match against Thailand, paved the way for Bangladesh's second-highest total in T20Is as they scored 191 for two against Malaysia. The attacking approach shown illustrated the aggression the Tigresses were looking to produce with the bat for a while.

Dilara Akter and Murshida got Bangladesh off to a flyer, notching fifty in the Powerplay. Murshida would then gather wind and skipper Nigar Sultana Joty was able to take the opportunity to hit an unbeaten 37-ball 62.

Murshida said she was eager for an attacking start to set her own tempo, for in the previous game against Thailand, she needed 10 deliveries to open her account.

"I rectified the mistakes made in the previous game. From the beginning, I tried to carry the innings with singles. The start in the previous game was bad and I covered that later [with 50 off 55]. Today, the plan was to attack from the beginning," she said at the post-match press conference.

There were classy shots on offer and she reminded at the post-match ceremony that the cover drive was her favourite during the innings.

For Bangladesh and her, the biggest relief would be recovering from the continuous batting slump.

"It's good when batters return to runs in a stage like the Asia Cup. We will be trying now to put on a better performance [in semis] and recover from our lackings," she said.

The attacking intent from Murshida saw her smash 10 fours and a six, and although she regretted getting out on 80, the knock helped Bangladesh put on big partnerships on way to posting a mammoth total.

The essential piece of the puzzle for Murshida to make an impact on return was maintaining her process, also showcased in the recently-concluded Premier League in which she top-scored with 446 runs at an average of over 63.

"I tried to play the right way according to my process and I feel that's how it happened. Last six months, I worked really hard while playing the Premier League," she added.

Buoyed by the win, Joty and Co will be looking for something special in the semifinal against India.

"We're looking forward to playing good cricket, and executing game plans. I have belief in my team, I know how capable they are," skipper Joty sounded confident about their chances against a strong Indian side.