Bangladesh Women’s Team Records Historic Win

Sports Correspondent

Bangladesh’s women’s cricket team has secured their biggest victory in One-Day International (ODI) history, defeating Ireland by 154 runs in the first match of a three-match series. This marks the team’s largest margin of victory, surpassing their previous record of a 119-run win over South Africa.

The match took place at Mirpur Shere Bangla National Stadium, where Bangladesh set a new high for their ODI score. Opting to bat first, the team scored 252 runs in 50 overs, their highest ever in an ODI. Previously, their best total was 250 runs, achieved against South Africa in 2023. This total was also the highest in any game between Bangladesh and Ireland, with the previous best being 210 runs, made in a 7-wicket win.

Sharmin Supta was the standout performer with the bat. Returning to the ODI side after a long absence, Supta narrowly missed a century, scoring 96 runs off 89 balls, including 14 boundaries. She also set a new record for the fastest half-century by a Bangladeshi woman, reaching 50 off just 41 balls, breaking Rumana Ahmed’s previous record of 44 balls. Her 56 runs in boundaries also became the highest boundary score by any Bangladeshi player, surpassing Rumana’s 48.

The top order gave Bangladesh a solid foundation, with Murshida Khatun and Farzana Haque putting together a 59-run opening partnership. Khatun scored 38 runs off 61 balls, while Haque made 61 runs from 110 balls. Captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti contributed 28 runs off 28 balls in the middle order.

Ireland, chasing a challenging total, struggled to keep up with the required run rate and lost wickets regularly. Three of their batters made double-digit scores, with opener Sarah Forbes top-scoring with 25 runs off 51 balls.

Sultana Khatoon was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for 23 runs in 8.5 overs. Nahida Akter claimed 2 wickets for 23 runs in 9 overs, and Marufa Akter took 2 wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs.

Bangladesh set a total of 252 runs and bowled out Ireland for just 58 runs, completing the win in dominant fashion. The total of 350 runs in the match is the highest combined score in an ODI between the two teams.