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Alright! Bangladesh Women's Cricket has come a long way as we are seeing so much improvement in their game, and their fighting spirit is always second to none. However, they need to work on their batting to challenge the big teams and taste success. This was evident with how things transpired in Gqeberha as Joty fought like a lone warrior and the rest of the batters struggled to even rotate the strike. Surely the players get to learn with more international experiences under their belt.
Now, it's time to look ahead. We have a double header tomorrow as the action shifts to Newlands, with India Women set to battle it out against West Indies Women in the first match. Join us for the LIVE coverage at 6 pm IST, and until then, this is Pragadeesh and Arya signing off
Meg Lanning: It did and we adjusted pretty quickly to the conditons. (On Waresam) She is a game-changer and she impacts the game in all three facets and really pumped to have her back after a pretty serious injury. I think it's nice to know that we are playing in the same conditions. Bangladesh bowled really well and it's good to get a win. (On Marufa) She was very impressive and she challenged us at the start with her pace and swing. We also expected that challenge. The under-19 WC was great as it groom young girls to play high-pressured games
Nigar Sultana Joty: We didn't get many runs in the powerplay. We lost early wickets. In this track, we need more than 140 and we are short of many runs. Playing long innings, we can get a long total but. Marufa is improving, she is just 18 but the way she's bowling it doesn't look like that. We need to work on our batting. Even against Sri Lanka, we were short of runs. It was an amazing crowd and thanks for them to come and support us
Georgia Wareham (Player of the Match): Yeah I mean its really special whenever you play for your country. To do it in a World Cup for your country is pretty cool. There was spin on offer but the pitch was very good to bat on. I think it’s an honor to play for my country. The selectors backed me and I am here, its really a cool experience. The crowd was very loud, the atmosphere was unbelievable.
Australia Women won by 8 wickets Meg Lanning 48(49) | Nigar Sultana Joty 57(50) Georgia Wareham 3-20(4) | Marufa Akter 1-19(4)
Eventually a straightforward chase for the Aussies. The bowlers did an excellent job to restrict Bangladesh to a meager total, and in replay, the Aussies didn't go all guns blazing, as expected, as they were more circumspect after Beth Mooney's wicket. The teenage sensation Marufa was threatening inside the powerplay with her pace and also she made the ball move in both ways. Since the target is well under control, Healy was watchful at the start but once she got her eye in, she played some sensational shots and Lanning too was never afraid to punish the loose deliveries
Then, the spin-heavy Bangladesh attack made it tough for the duo to score boundaries in the middle overs, so they were happy to work ones and twos in the gap. Shorna Akter got her first international wicket as she dismissed Alyssa Healy but Lanning and Gardner ensured there shouldn't be any further slip ups, and in the end, the Aussies registered their second win in this Women's T20 WC
18.2 Salma Khatun to Ashleigh Gardner, FOUR! On a length angling down the leg side, Gardner gets down on one knee and connects the sweep pretty well, gets it over the square leg fielder and seals the match for the Aussies.
18.1 Salma Khatun to Ashleigh Gardner, flatter around middle, coming from around the wicket, worked away towards the midwicket fielder by Gardner.
18.1 Salma Khatun to Ashleigh Gardner, Salma throws it down the leg side, wide called.
Salma Khatun (2-0-14-0) comes back into the attack
Australia have decided to drag this chase till the end. Meg Lanning looks to the stars in relief after scoring a boundary in the last ball. Just one hit away for the Aussies now
18
overs
106/2score
1
0
0
1
1
4
runs
Meg Lanning*
48(49)
Ashleigh Gardner
15(18)
Nahida Akter
0/32
17.6 Nahida Akter to Meg Lanning, FOUR! Lanning gets a step forward and then transfers her weight on the backfoot. Carves away the flatter one outside off past the backward point fielder and off to the fence.
17.5 Nahida Akter to Ashleigh Gardner, fuller-length around off, Gardner digs this out down towards long-on and takes a single.
17.4 Nahida Akter to Meg Lanning, Lanning comes down the track and drills this floater a shade outside off down towards long-off and takes a single.
17.3 Nahida Akter to Meg Lanning, on a length around middle, Lanning rocks back and pushes this towards the off side.
17.2 Nahida Akter to Meg Lanning, pushes away the length delivery on middle towards the cover-point region.
17.1 Nahida Akter to Ashleigh Gardner, Gardner comes down the track and tries to launch this flighted delivery back over the bowler's head for a maximum. Doesn't get the timing she was after but falls well short of the long-on fielder, a single taken.
A loose delivery to start the over but Marufa used her variations into play and conceded just three singles in the next five deliveries
17
overs
99/2score
4
1
1
0
1
0
runs
Meg Lanning*
43(45)
Ashleigh Gardner
13(16)
Marufa Akter
1/19
16.6 Marufa Akter to Meg Lanning, that's the line, on a good-length a shade outside off, just grips off the surface, roller her fingers over that and beats Lanning on the outside edge. Some grip on the delivery.
16.5 Marufa Akter to Ashleigh Gardner, that one tailing in from a goodish length, around off and nudged away towards the square leg region for a single.
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St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Meg Lanning
*
Nahida Akter
Video
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