ICC Women's T20 World Cup sets off with a win for Bangladesh Women over Scotland Women

The ICC Women’s T20 World cup opened with Bangladesh Women securing a comfortable win over Scotland Women at Sharjah. Scotland Women kicked off their World Cup campaign after thrashing Pakistan Women in the warm up game. However, the team stood in no competition to the Nigar Sultana led Bangladesh as the Asian team finished the proceedings of the tournament within 10 overs. Winning the toss, Bangladesh women opted to bat first in the match that they eventually won by 16 runs.

Bangladesh Women win WT20 WC opener as Scotland Women fail to emulate their warm-up match performance

After choosing to bat, Bangladesh Women got off to a solid start, with openers beginning at a steady pace. Shathi Rani set the tone by hitting a boundary in each of the first two overs. In a bid to complement her partner, Murshida Khatun looked to maintain the momentum but fell while trying to loft a delivery from Kathryn Bryce. Despite losing a wicket during the powerplay, Bangladesh remained focused as Rani was joined by Shobhana Mostary, and the pair played aggressively, matching each other's strokes.

Though the duo took some risks against Scotland’s spinners, their aggressive approach didn’t always yield results. Several attempted big hits landed safely, and boundaries became less frequent as Scotland’s bowlers slowed down the pace. Over 44 balls, only three boundaries were scored, but Rani and Mostary kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos, building a 42-run partnership that gave Bangladesh a solid platform.

Eventually, both batters fell after settling in. Rani mistimed a shot to midwicket for 29, while Mostary was stumped for 32 a few overs later. In between these dismissals, Taj Nehar was run out for a duck, stalling Bangladesh's hopes of reaching 140. Towards the end, left-arm spinner Saskia Horley took three wickets, including two in one over, but Fahima Khatun managed a couple of crucial boundaries to push Bangladesh's total to 119, which ultimately proved enough.

A deserved win in her 100th T20I 🙌

An emotional Nigar Sultana Joty after Bangladesh's win on the opening day of the Women's #T20WorldCup 2024.#WhateverItTakes #BANvSCO pic.twitter.com/EaVU7t9j7N

— ICC (@ICC) October 3, 2024

Scotland, in response, struggled to find the same momentum. They lost Saskia Horley to Khatun's spin in the third over. The nail in the coffin was hammered early by Bangladesh when captain Kathryn Bryce, who had already struck two boundaries, was bowled out towards the end of the powerplay. Scotland's hopes rested on Kathryn's batting, but her early departure made it difficult for them to recover.

Sarah Bryce tried to keep the chase alive but faced continuous setbacks as wickets kept falling at the other end. Ritu Moni claimed two wickets in the middle overs, while a mix-up resulted in the run-out of Priyanaz Chatterji, further hampering Scotland's progress. Though Sarah remained unbeaten on 49, the sole fighting knock didn’t prove enough for Scotland to prevent Bangladesh from claiming the victory. The win against Scotland Women is now registered as the first win for Bangladesh Women in the T20 World Cup in over ten years.