Women’s T20 WC: Sobhana, Sultana Take Bangladesh To 117/5 Against South Africa

Women’s T20 WC: Sobhana, Sultana take Bangladesh to 117/5 against South Africa (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: Bangladesh recovered from a disastrous start to post 117/5 in their 20 overs against South Africa after captain Nigar Sultana's unbeaten late flourish and a resilient third-wicket partnership between Sobhana Mostary and Sharmin Akhter rescued the innings here at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday in what is the penultimate group game of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

On a lively surface that offered movement throughout the morning, South Africa's experienced pace attack, led by Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, dictated the early exchanges before the spinners tightened their grip during the middle overs.

Bangladesh's decision to bat first came under immediate scrutiny as Kapp struck with the opening delivery of the match. Juairiya Ferdous departed for a golden duck after missing a wild swing, setting the tone for an uncomfortable powerplay against the new ball. Kapp extracted pronounced swing from the outset, repeatedly beating the outside edge, while Ismail's pace and seam movement ensured Bangladesh found little breathing room.

The pressure eventually brought another breakthrough when Taj Nehar, after a painstaking stay at the crease, was trapped leg-before by Ismail following a review. At 14/2 after four overs, Bangladesh had managed only a handful of scoring opportunities as South Africa's seamers maintained relentless discipline.

Sobhana then steadied the innings with an innings built on patience rather than aggression. Initially content to absorb pressure, she gradually began rotating the strike before capitalising whenever the bowlers erred. Sharmin complemented her approach, and together the pair stitched a valuable 55-run partnership that revived Bangladesh's hopes after the early collapse.

The introduction of spin briefly eased the scoring pressure. Mostary swept confidently against Nonkululeko Mlaba and punished Chloe Tryon's loose deliveries, while Sharmin found boundaries square of the wicket and accumulated through intelligent placement. Mostary also produced the innings' first six by pulling Nadine de Klerk over deep square leg, signalling Bangladesh's intent to push beyond the modest total they seemed destined for during the powerplay.

Just as the partnership began to gather momentum, South Africa struck back through Mlaba. The left-arm spinner deceived Sharmin Akhter in flight, beating her attempted drive to bowl her for 22 and end the crucial stand. Bangladesh's hopes of accelerating suffered another setback when Mostary, after a hard-earned 42 from 48 deliveries, upper-cut a cleverly disguised slower short ball from de Klerk straight to deep backward point.

With Bangladesh reduced to 81/4 and only a few overs remaining, captain Nigar Sultana assumed responsibility for the finish. After taking time to assess the conditions against the returning Ismail, she shifted gears dramatically in the closing overs. Nigar broke the shackles with a sliced boundary off Ayabonga Khaka before launching a powerful slog sweep for the innings' second six.

Even after Mlaba removed Shorna Akter in the penultimate over, Nigar continued attacking. She slog-swept another boundary before ending the innings in style, carving consecutive fours off Khaka in the final over to remain unbeaten on 32 from just 20 balls. Bangladesh collected 22 runs across the last two overs, giving the scoreboard a far healthier appearance than had seemed possible earlier.

South Africa's bowlers nevertheless remained firmly in control for most of the innings. Kapp's outstanding opening spell of 1/9 from four overs laid the platform, while Ismail's hostile pace returned figures of 1/15. Mlaba proved equally effective through the middle overs with 2/22, and de Klerk's clever changes of pace accounted for the well-set Mostary at a critical stage.

Even after Mlaba removed Shorna Akter in the penultimate over, Nigar continued attacking. She slog-swept another boundary before ending the innings in style, carving consecutive fours off Khaka in the final over to remain unbeaten on 32 from just 20 balls. Bangladesh collected 22 runs across the last two overs, giving the scoreboard a far healthier appearance than had seemed possible earlier.

Brief Scores: Bangladesh 117/5 in 20 overs (Sobhana Mostary 42, Nigar Sultana 32*; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-22, Marizanne Kapp 1-9) against South Africa

Article Source: IANS