Bangladesh 184 (Nigar 68, Mostary 23, Ramharack 4-33, Alleyne 3-24) beat West Indies 124 (Campbelle 28, Nahida 3-31) by 60 runs
Bangladesh are one win away from direct qualification for this year’s Women’s ODI World Cup after they beat West Indies by 60 runs in the second ODI in Basseterre on Tuesday. It was Bangladesh’s first win against West Indies in any format as they levelled the series 1-1 after West Indies had won the first game by nine wickets on Sunday.
Bangladesh are now in seventh place in the ODI Women’s Championship points table with 21 points, the same as New Zealand who are placed sixth. The top five teams from that table and hosts India will gain direct entry into the ODI World Cup and the the third ODI between West Indies and Bangladesh will be the final game of this Women’s Championship cycle. If Bangladesh win the final game, on Friday, they will overtake New Zealand and get direct qualification for the ODI World Cup for the first time.
West Indies are languishing in ninth place with 16 points and are out of the race for direct qualification. The remaining four teams from the Women’s Championship table will play in the ODI World Cup qualifiers along with two more teams for the remaining two spots for the main event.
On Tuesday, captain Nigar Sultana led the way with 68 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 184 in 48.5 overs. She struck five fours in her 120-ball stay, bringing up her fifth half-century in ODIs. Nigar was the anchor of the innings, adding a 51-run stand with Sobhana Mostary for the fourth wicket. Offspinner Karishma Ramharack took four wickets for the first time in ODIs, while fast bowler Aaliyah Alleyne picked up three wickets.
Nahida Akter led the Bangladesh charge with the ball, taking three wickets, which included two of West Indies’ top three. Marufa Akter, Rabeya Khan and Fahima Khatun all took two wickets each as the hosts were bowled out for 124 in 35 overs. Shemaine Campbelle top scored with 28 while the big hitters Hayley Matthews (16) and Deandra Dottin (2) fell for low scores.
After the match, Nigar said that she had the World Cup qualification in the back of her mind, but it was far more important to bounce back after the big defeat in the first ODI.
“I think it was great to see how we bounced back in such a short turnaround time, especially after the nine-wicket defeat. We definitely wanted this momentum,” she said. “Of course, the two points are priceless but we really also want to achieve a series win by winning the next game. We haven’t won an overseas series before.”
Nigar said that she took her time in building her half-century, but was pleased the runs came in a winning cause for her team.
“I took a long time to settle down in the middle, [I] played out a lot of deliveries, but the runs turned out to be important,” she said. “I am really happy to contribute to the team’s cause. It was, however, a team performance. We gave an outstanding effort out there.
“The team had belief. We didn’t score a lot of runs on this wicket where the bowlers have a tough life defending a low total. We just planned to bowl in the right areas, and wait for the batters to make mistakes.”
