SCO W VS BAN W T20

Right then, that's a wrap from the opening game of the 9th edition of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, where Bangladesh Women got the better of the tournament debutants Scotland to secure their first T20 World Cup win in a decade. They will be eager to carry this momentum into their next clash against England on Saturday, October 5th. For Scotland, it was a tough first outing in a World Cup, but they will need to regroup quickly ahead of their clash against the 2016 champions, the West Indies, on Sunday, October 6th. But hold on, there’s more excitement on this opening day. We remain in Sharjah for an exciting all-Asian showdown as Pakistan lock horns with Sri Lanka. The last time these two sides met in the Asia Cup semifinals, we witnessed a nail-biting last-over finish. Let's hope that we are treated to another cliffhanger. Our build-up has already begun for that game, with the first ball set to be bowled at 2 pm GMT. Switch tabs and catch all the action. See you there! Cheers!

Nigar Sultana, the captain of Bangladesh Women says they have been waiting for this victory for a decade and it feels great to finally get a win. Says this is the kind of a wicket where batting was not that easy due to the slowness. Mentions that it was pretty hot out there and a couple of decent partnerships got them over three figures. On bowling, she says that they have got a pretty decent spin attack. Ends by saying that they have the momentum and seeing the girls happy and smiling is the biggest inspiration for her as the skipper.

The captain of Scotland Women, Kathryn Bryce, says it was always going to be tough in their first game. Adds that they have played brilliant cricket in the last few months, and hopefully, they can show that going ahead in the competition. Shares that there was some buzz around with this being their first World Cup game and it was great to go out there and have some time on the field. On being the bowler to take the first wicket in Scotland Women's World Cup history, she says it was good to go out there and contribute to the team. Tells that they were sloppy in the field and in a tight game, those are the things that can cost you.

Ritu Moni is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for her brilliant bowling performance. She says it was a slow wicket and she tried to stick to her plans and bowled wicket to wicket. Says she kept it simple and didn't try to do anything extra. Adds they are all working very hard and this win is a huge moment for her country.

Earlier in the game, Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana won the toss and opted to put runs on the board. Bangladesh just could never get hit the top gear in their batting effort as Scotland consistently pegged them back with timely wickets. A decent foundation was built through the partnership between Shathi Rani and Sobhana Mostary, but just when they looked to accelerate after the halfway mark, Rani perished. The momentum Bangladesh sought never materialized as the Scottish spinners chipped away at the wickets. Introduced late into the attack, Saskia Horley ended up being the pick of the bowlers for Scotland with figures of 3 for 13 from her two overs. Please stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

The Scottish batting effort began on par with their opponents, but the dismissal of Kathryn Bryce on the last ball of the Powerplay shifted the burden onto her sister, Sarah, to steer the chase. Finding boundaries proved to be a significant challenge for Sarah, as the Bangladeshi bowlers maintained a tight grip on the game. With wickets tumbling at the other end and the energy-sapping conditions in the Sharjah heat, it became increasingly difficult for her to keep up the momentum. However, as long as Sarah was at the crease, Scotland held onto hope, but the pressure mounted as they struggled to keep pace with the required run rate. Scotland employed as many as four spin bowling options, but in return, they were met with a similar diet of spin from the Bangladeshi bowlers on a slow and low Sharjah wicket. The right-arm medium pacer, Ritu Moni stood out for the Asian side and was instrumental in stifling Scotland's chase.

The tournament hosts are up and running in the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup! A masterful bowling effort from Bangladesh has helped them register their first win in the Women's T20 World Cups in a decade. Meanwhile, Scotland will reflect on their fielding lapses, but the real difference was in the boundary count - just 5 throughout their innings compared to Bangladesh's 10. While the margin may not seem large, it proved crucial on the day.

AND THAT'S IT! FIRST WIN FOR BANGLADESH WOMEN SINCE 2014 IN T20 WORLD CUPS AND THEY EXTEND THEIR LEAD TO 5-0 AGAINST SCOTLAND WOMEN IN THIS FORMAT! Short one outside off, Sarah Bryce hangs back and hits it with a flat bat, down to the right of long off and calls for the second run. The throw comes in flat and quick towards the bowler's end where Marufa collects it and whips the bails in a flash and appeals for a run out but Abtaha Maqsood is well home safely by the time.

IN THE AIR AND PUT DOWN! Butterfingers in the field from both teams in this game! Full and outside off, Bryce lofts it off the toe end of the bat over covers. Sobhana Mostary runs back and tries to grab it with a reverse cup but grasses it. Two runs taken.

Hurls it outside off on a good length does Marufa Akter, Sarah Bryce reaches to it by extending her arms and gets it a bit uppishly through the gap between cover and point for a couple of runs.

Swing and a miss! Straight and full, just on the fourth stump line, Sarah Bryce clears her front foot and swings across but misses to connect.

A yorker into the blockhole, on leg, Sarah Bryce clears her front leg and shovels it to deep mid-wicket for a single. It's been 50 balls since the last boundary now for Scotland Women!

Fuller delivery around off, Abtaha Maqsood hits it down the ground to long on for a single.

IN THE AIR...DROPPED! Another brave effort there, this time by Nahida Akter! Floated up, on middle, Maqsood goes for a slog sweep but gets a top edge behind the bowler to the right. Nahida turns around and runs back, stretches her hands while falling over gets her fingertips to it but fails to hold onto it. That would have been a screamer of a catch if she had taken it. It looks like she has tweaked her shoulder a bit while tumbling. However, she looks fine to continue.

Abtaha Maqsood walks out to the middle now.

OUT! 100th T20I WICKET FOR NAHIDA AKTER! She becomes the only third bowler for Bangladesh across genders to achieve this feat after Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman! Tossed up by Nahida around off, Fraser steps out of the crease and looks to lift it straight down the ground but gets it off the toe end of the bat. Rabeya stationed at long off, runs to her right and gets both hands to it to pouch it safely.

OUT! 100th T20I WICKET FOR NAHIDA AKTER! She becomes the only third bowler for Bangladesh across genders to achieve this feat after Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman! Tossed up by Nahida around off, Fraser steps out of the crease and looks to lift it straight down the ground but gets it off the toe end of the bat. Rabeya stationed at long off, runs to her right and gets both hands to it to pouch it safely.

Fuller and slower, turning way, around off, Katherine Fraser gets down to sweep but misses as the ball spins away to go past the bat.