“Test match going on here. Come on, girls.”
In a 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 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.
A stunning batting collapse saw Pakistan crumble to 129 with its 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.
AS IT HAPPENED | Pakistan vs Bangladesh Highlights
Fatima Sana and Co. hoped to capitalise on the recent form of key batters to set an imposing target but Marufa Akter — the sole pacer picked — had other plans.
Her prodigious swing left the openers shaking at the crease, with Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin falling off consecutive balls in the very first over. That was enough to shock Pakistan into a corner.
Save a painfully slow 42-run partnership for the third wicket between Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim, both left-handers who hoped to nullify Marufa’s inswinger, Pakistan offered a limp response in its batting essay with the spinners forcing them to an unflattering dot ball percentage of 69.
While Fatima preoccupied mind reflected in some errant lines, she tested her opponents with two slips and packed offside fields.
| Photo Credit:
AP
While Fatima preoccupied mind reflected in some errant lines, she tested her opponents with two slips and packed offside fields.
| Photo Credit:
AP
A few entertaining quips in Bangla from the captain helped stomach the afternoon.
If the Pakistan innings was a slow burn, Bangladesh’s crawl danced on the last nerve of every reporter who fancied sending their dispatches well ahead of time. 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 preoccupied mind reflected in some errant lines, she tested her opponents with two slips and packed offside 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 partnbership picked safety over flamboyance to set up a victory with 113 balls to spare.
The scores:
Bangladesh 131/3 in 31.1 overs (Rubya Haider 54 n.o, Nigar Sultana 23, Diana Baig 1/14, Fatima Sana 1/30) bt Pakistan 129 in 38.3 overs (Rameen Shamim 23, Fatima 22, Muneeba Ali 17, Shorna Akter 3/5, Nahida Akter 2/19, Marufa Akter 2/31) Toss: Pakistan; PoM: Marufa Akter
Published on Oct 02, 2025
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