India Take the Points, Bangladesh Bows Out

A clinical 5 wicket win to India sees them still in the race for the finals, while the Bangladesh campaign is over.

Hot conditions at Old Trafford were uncomfortable for the modest crowd but one suspects both teams would have relished a bit of weather they are more suited to. Nigar Sultana won the toss for the Tigresses and chose to bat.

Juairiya Ferdous continued her productive World Cup campaign with 33 runs from 31 deliveries, her decisive pull shot never far from view. There were a couple of other starts, notably Nigar Sultana (32) and Sobhana Mostary (22) but not much else to follow. India’s spinners had full control, notably, in her first match of the tournament, Radha Yadav (3-28) and the leading wicket taker so far, Shree Charani (2-21).

Improving the net run rate was the order of the day for the Indian batters. They lost Smriti Mandhana early, but if you want an improved run rate then you look no further than Shafali Verma who scored a dominant 53 runs from just 34 balls. It set the tempo and the total was never far out of reach for India. A top little cameo from Jemimah Rodrigues (26) sealed the deal for the Women in Blue.

Shafali Verma was named Player of the Match for her batting but one must also note that she also bowled two overs in the Bangladesh innings for just 11 runs.

India now sit in second spot but there is no let up in this tournament. India must beat Australia on the weekend to have a chance – yes, just a chance – of making the finals. A loss in that game will mean they miss the finals.

Scores

Bangladesh 136/8 (Juairiya Ferdous 33, Nigar Sultana 32, Radha Yadav 3-28, Shree Charani 2-21) lost to
India 139/5 (Shafali Verma 53, Jemimah Rodrigues 26, Ritu Moni 2-29) by 5 wickets

POTM: Shafali Verma