Ritu Moni!
That’s a name you’re not going to forget anytime soon. The target? 236 runs. Bangladesh were reeling at 139 for 6, teetering on the edge of defeat. Ireland had already begun dreaming of their first ODI win against Bangladesh in nine years. But then, at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, during the Women’s World Cup Qualifier, a new chapter was written by Bangladesh’s middle-order batter.
With an incredible knock of 67* off just 61 balls, Ritu led Bangladesh to a miraculous victory with 8 balls and 2 wickets to spare. And as if that wasn’t enough, she sealed the win with a towering six, making the moment even more magical.
And this is the same Ritu who, despite playing 121 international matches in ODIs and T20Is, had never even scored a 40-plus innings before today. The same Ritu who was left out of the squad that toured West Indies in January—a tour where Bangladesh lost the series and missed out on a direct World Cup spot.
But today, it was her bat that turned the tide. With this comeback story, Bangladesh snatched a near-impossible win. With two back-to-back victories now, the dream of qualifying for the World Cup burns even brighter for the Tigresses. In this league-format tournament featuring six teams, only the top two will qualify for the World Cup to be held in India this September-October. Bangladesh are now set to face Scotland on Tuesday, West Indies on Thursday, and Pakistan on Saturday.
In their first match against Thailand, Bangladesh posted 271—their highest team total in Women’s ODIs. And today, they broke another record: their highest successful run chase. Previously, they had chased down 211 against Pakistan back in 2019.
But it wasn’t easy. Ireland, batting first, surprised everyone. A team that had never crossed 200 in the first nine ODIs against Bangladesh, suddenly put up 235 for 8. And Bangladesh, in reply, suffered an early collapse—losing two wickets for just 2 runs.
Then came a 52-run stand between Sharmin Akhter (24) and captain Nigar Sultana (51). But by the 26th over, Bangladesh were 94 for 5. Ritu had already come in after the team lost its fourth wicket at 82.
She built a 45-run stand with Fahima Khatun (28 off 38), and after Fahima’s departure, added another 40 runs with Jannatul Ferdous (19). When both Jannatul and Rabeya fell within 7 runs of each other, Ritu calmly finished the job alongside Nahida Akter, who stayed unbeaten on 18.
Earlier, Ireland’s top scorer was Laura Delany with 63, while Bangladesh’s leg-spinner Rabeya Khan took 3 wickets.
Score Summary
- Ireland Women: 235/8 in 50 overs (Delany 63, Prendergast 41, Hunter 33; Rabeya 3/39, Fahima 2/50)
- Bangladesh Women: 240/8 in 48.4 overs (Ritu 67*, Nigar 51, Fahima 28, Sharmin 24; Prendergast 2/14, Kelly 2/53)
Result: Bangladesh Women won by 2 wickets
Player of the Match: Ritu Moni
