Bangladesh women lose T20I series to Pakistan

Bangladesh women lost the two-match T20I series to Pakistan 2-0 after they were beaten in the second game by 34 runs at Karachi stadium today.

Another dismal performance with the bat from Bangladesh women left a sour taste in the mouth, especially after their bowlers managed to restrict the hosts for only 114 runs earlier in the match.

Pakistan captain Sana Mir was second time lucky with the toss, and didn’t hesitate to bat first after the coin fell in her favour.

With the series on the line, Bangladesh bowlers didn’t allow the opposing batters to score freely, and applied considerable pressure with disciplined bowling from the start.

The pitch having slowed down, and with inconsistent bounce in the offer, Pakistani women found it extremely difficult to time the ball to their liking.

With shot-making made tricky under the blazing sun, Pakistan crept to 47 runs in 11 overs when Marina was dismissed for a well-made 33.

She played 41 deliveries and struck four boundaries in her knock, the second-highest scorer for Pakistan today.

Player of the match in the first game, Bismah Maroof was the top-scorer for her team with her unbeaten innings of 44 from 38 balls. She managed to send the ball across the fence twice during her stay at the crease.

Similar to the way she kept one end secured in the previous encounter, Bismah batted with confidence, easily rotating the strike as Bangladesh skipper Salma Khatun protected the boundaries.

In the death overs, Aliya Riaz used the long handle to good effect, with her cameo of 20 from 15 balls. With Bismah solid at one end, Pakistani women managed to put up 114 runs for the loss of six wickets.

Bangladeshi bowlers used the conditions well, and were helped by the fielders with two crucial run-outs in the innings. Nahida Akhter was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 27 from four overs.

With only 115 to chase down in 20 overs, Bangladesh women were rocked early with a succession of wickets.

Ayasha fell in the 2nd over, Fargana in the 3rd and Sharmin went back to the pavilion in the 7th over with only 23 runs on the board.

Bangladesh skipper Salma tried to rally with Rumana Ahmed, but the required run-rate never seemed attainable.

When Salma was gone in the 10th over with only 28 runs on the board, Bangladesh’s challenge petered out with the Pakistani bowlers dictating terms on the sluggish pitch.

Rumana was the highest scorer in Bangladesh’s failed attempt to chase down 115, with 27 runs from 33 balls (three 4s).

At the end, Bangladesh women scored 80 runs from their quota of 20 overs, and lost seven wickets in the process.

Pakistan’s Sumaiya Siddiqi and Nida Dar picked up two wickets each.

For her consistent performance, Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof was adjudicated as the Player of the Series. She also picked up the Player of the Match award for the 2nd T20I.

Bangladesh will play two ODI matches against the Pakistan team in their short tour.

The first ODI will be held at Karachi on October 4, 2015. The second match will be played at the same venue on October 6.

Bangladesh wicket keeper Nigar Sultana (L) celebrates after taking the catch to dismiss Pakistani cricketer Aliya Riaz. Photo: AFP