Tigresses fall 21-run short against England W

Bangladesh Women’s team suffered a 21-run defeat against England Women in the sixth match of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at  Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Saturday.

Earlier, Nigar Sultana Joty’s Tigresses ended their 16-match losing streak in the mega event after taking down debutants Scotland. Against Heather Knight’s England, they had their moments of brilliance, but ran out of steam, eventually.

By defending 118, England also defended their lowest score in the history of the quadrennial event.

Opting to bat first, England emerged victorious riding on a crucial 48-run opening stand between Maia Bouchier (23 off 18 balls) and seasoned Danni Wyatt-Hodge (41 off 40 balls) since run-making became increasingly difficult as the game progressed.

England batters huffed and puffed as they made 118/7 after opting to bat first.

In reply, Bangladesh was guilty of not putting in partnerships after spilling a few catches in the first half. They were eventually restricted to 97 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.

Sobhana Mostary’s 48-ball 44 was the only knock that threatened the English bowlers as the batter dominated the contest largely.

Earlier, England openers Bouchier and Wyatt-Hodge put on the best partnership of the game from either teams.

The shot-making appeared relatively easier against seamers operating with the new ball as Bouchier cracked three fours while veteran Wyatt-Hodge struck five fours.

However, it all went south for the English side when the batters failed to find a way to score against Bangladeshi spinners.

Bangladesh made the most of a sluggish, turning track to subdue England by regular strikes, denying it any opportunity to build any significant platform after the robust start.

England will next face South Africa in a rematch of the 2023 semi-finals where Knight’s women lost. As far as Bangladesh are concerned, they have their task cut out when they face 2016 champions West Indies on October 10 in Sharjah.

Brief scores:
England 118/7 in 20 overs (Maia Bouchier 23, Danni Wyatt-Hodge 41; Nahida Akter 2/32, Fatima Khatun 2/18) beat Bangladesh 97/7 in 20 overs (Sobhana Mostary 44; Linsey Smith 2/11, Charlie Dean 2/22, Sarah Glenn 1/22) by 21 runs.