Bangladesh fail to chase 41 against Sri Lanka in match curtailed by rain

Bangladesh women’s team failed to chase down 41 runs in seven overs in a rain affected match in the Women’s Asia Cup, suffering a three-run defeat according to the Duckworth and Lewis method at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Sent to bat, Sri Lanka reached 83-5 after 18.1 overs when rain stopped play for 1.5 hours.

The play resumed at 11:50am, and Bangladesh was set a revised target of 41 in seven overs.

But the hosts couldn’t chase down this meagre total, finishing on 37-7 after seven overs.

After the defeat, Bangladesh slipped to fifth position in the position with two wins and three losses.

They still can make it to the semifinal as the fourth team if they can defeat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their final group-stage match on Tuesday.

Chasing a small total, Bangladesh lost openers Fargana Hoque and Murshida Khatun inside 12 runs.

But skipper Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed absorbed the pressure and kept the required rate within reach.

The hosts needed 14 runs off 12 balls with both Nigar and Rumana at the crease.

But disaster struck for Bangladesh in the sixth over, as four wickets fell in left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera’s six balls which spun the match on its head.

Rumana, Nigar and Sobhana Mostary were caught out while Fahima Khatun got run-out on the final ball as Bangladesh were reduced to 30-6 after six overs.

Bangladesh needed 11 runs in the final over but could only muster seven.

Earlier, the toss went in Bangladesh’s favour as Nigar chose to bowl first on a cloudy day in Sylhet.

Pacer Jahanara Alam bowled a brilliant in-swinger to rattle the stumps of Sri Lanka captain and best batter Chamari Athapaththu in the second over.

This was also Jahanara’s 100th wicket in international cricket, making her the first Bangladesh pacer to reach the feat in women’s cricket.

Before her, spinners Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed and Nahida Akhter have taken more than 100 wickets in women’s international cricket for Bangladesh.

The rest of the Bangladesh attack also bowled well, with Rumana claiming highest two wickets while Fahima, Sanjida Akhter and Jahanara took one wicket each.