Pakistan’s Sidra Amin is bowled by Marufa Akter.
| Photo Credit: AFP
“Test match going on here. Come on, girls.”
In an ODI World Cup where the discourse is about 350-plus totals — at least 250 on slower surfaces — Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana’s jab at Pakistan summed up a forgettable opening encounter in the Women’s ODI World Cup here on Thursday.
A stunning batting collapse saw Pakistan crumble to 129 with their subcontinental cousin, riding on debutant Rubya Haider’s maiden fifty – cruising to a no-fuss seven-wicket win. This is only Bangladesh’s second win in the tournament, the first incidentally coming against the same opponent in 2022.
Fatima Sana and Co. hoped to capitalise on the recent form of key batters to set an imposing target but Marufa Akter (two for 31) – the sole pacer picked – had other plans.
Her prodigious swing left the top-order shaking at the crease, with opener Omaima Sohail and No. 3 Sidra Amin falling off consecutive balls in the first over. That was enough to push Pakistan into a corner.
Except for the slow 42-run partnership for the third wicket between Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim, a left-left combination created to nullify Marufa’s inswinger, the Pakistan batters offered a limp response to the Bangladesh spinners — there was an unflattering dot ball percentage of 69.
If the Pakistan innings was a slow burn, Bangladesh’s was a crawl. Each hiccup played out to a few hundred people at the 40,000-capacity venue, the empty seats making the emotive Bangladesh mascot – the Royal Bengal Tiger – the camera’s favourite in the stands.
While Fatima’s preoccupied mind reflected in some errant lines, she tested her opponents with two slips and packed off-side fields. Bangladesh closed up into a shell of its own with 137 dots.
Diana Baig gave her side a glimmer of hope when she trapped Fargana Hoque leg-before in the fourth over. Shamim saw off Sharmin Akter, while skipper Fatima took out her counterpart, but Sultana and Rubya’s 62-run third-wicket partnership chose safety over flamboyance to set up a victory with 113 balls to spare.
The scores: Pakistan 129 in 38.3 overs (Shorna Akter 3/5) lost to Bangladesh 131/3 in 31.1 overs (Rubya Haider 54 n.o.). Toss: Pakistan; PoM: Marufa.
Published – October 02, 2025 11:23 pm IST
