Bangladesh’s World Cup Qualifier ends in defeat after bright start
After three straight wins, Nigar Sultana’s team wrapped up their Women’s World Cup Qualifier campaign with back-to-back defeats — a disappointing end to what had started as a promising journey.
Bangladesh seemed to lose their rhythm just when it mattered the most. Following a strong start to the tournament, they stumbled against West Indies and couldn’t bounce back in the final game. A lackluster performance with both bat and ball saw them fall to another defeat, this time against Pakistan.
In the final match of the qualifiers, held on Saturday in Lahore, hosts Pakistan comfortably beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets. Chasing 179, Pakistan cruised to victory with 62 balls to spare.
Winning all five of their matches, Pakistan topped the qualifier table and secured their spot in the World Cup. Bangladesh, who finished second, still hold a strong chance of qualifying — but it now depends on West Indies, who would need a massive win over Thailand to surpass Nigar Sultana’s side.
Bangladesh ended their five matches with six points and a net run rate of +0.639, while West Indies currently have four points and a net run rate of -0.283.
After scoring over 200 in their last four matches, Bangladesh’s batters failed to fire against Pakistan. Ritu Moni top-scored with 48 off five boundaries, while Fahima Khatun remained unbeaten on 44. No other batter managed more than 25 runs.
Muniba Ali, who laid the foundation for Pakistan’s victory with a fluent 69 off eight boundaries, was named Player of the Match. She shared the winning stand with Aliya Riaz, who hit 52 off just 38 balls, including a six and six boundaries.
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat, but their innings got off to a shaky start. They lost three wickets for just 21 runs. Fargana Hoque was bowled for a duck in the third over by Fatima Sana. Dilara Akter and captain Nigar Sultana followed in quick succession.
In-form Sharmin Akter scored 24 before falling after a 44-run stand with Ritu. Later, Ritu built another 44-run partnership with Nahida Akter, who played a slow 19 off 51 balls. Bangladesh edged closer to 180 thanks to Fahima’s late cameo.
With the ball, Marufa Akter gave Bangladesh an early breakthrough, trapping Shawal Zulfiqar LBW on just the second ball. But the pressure didn’t last long. Muniba and Sidra Amin put on an 80-run partnership to put Pakistan firmly in control.
Rabeya Khan finally broke the stand by dismissing Sidra for 33, but Muniba and Aliya kept the scoreboard ticking. Muniba brought up her fifty in 67 balls but was dismissed shortly after, ending a 74-run stand. Aliya reached her half-century off 65 deliveries and stayed till the end to see her team through.
Match Summary
Bangladesh: 178/9 in 50 overs
- Dilara 13, Fargana 0, Sharmin 24, Nigar 1, Ritu 48, Nahida 19, Fahima 44*, Sorna 2, Sumona 6, Rabeya 2, Marufa 6*
Fatima 2/45, Sadia 3/28, Rameen 1/25, Diana 2/45, Nashra 1/34
Pakistan: 181/3 in 39.4 overs
- Shawal 2, Muniba 69, Sidra 33, Aliya 52*, Natalia 13*
Marufa 1/27, Nahida 1/36, Rabeya 1/25)
Result: Pakistan won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Muniba Ali
