KUALA LUMPUR – Lightning struck twice at the Kinrara Academy Oval in KualaLumpur as Bangladesh made it two in two against the higher-ranked India,the second win on Sunday 10 June giving Bangladesh the Women’s T20 Asia Cup2018 title and proving the first win wasn’t an accident.
Bangladesh, led by Rumana Ahmed and Khadija Tul Kubra, restricted India to112/9 in their 20 overs and then kept their cool through a tricky chase,even as Poonam Yadav ran amok, to win by three wickets off the last ball asJahanara Alam scored the two runs needed.
Bangladesh started the chase well with Shamima Sultana (16) and AyashaRahman (17) adding 35 runs for the opening wicket in a shade under sevenovers. Yadav then weaved her magic, getting rid of the openers offconsecutive deliveries. While Rahman top edged a sweep straight into thehands of Jhulan Goswami at short fine-leg, Shamima whacked a delivery toMithali Raj at cover.
Fargana Hoque slammed a cracking four during her stay at the crease beforeYadav struck yet again, getting rid of the Bangladesh No.4 with TaniyaBhatia taking smart catch behind the stumps to leave Bangladesh at 55/3 inthe 12th over.[image: Nigar Sultana led the Bangladesh chase]Nigar Sultana led the Bangladesh chase
With the required rate rising, things started to become a tad difficult forBangladesh but Nigar Sultana ensured there was no panic. She hit Goswamifor three successive fours in an over to ease the nerves and get the ratedown. But in the last over of her spell, Yadav bowled a low dipping fulltoss and Nigar could only mistime it as far as Deepti Sharma at cow corner.She fell for a 24-ball 27 with Bangladesh still needing 30 to win in 28deliveries.
Ahmed kept her side in the hunt for a majority of the time despite wicketsfalling at the other end. It all came down to the last over with Bangladeshneeding nine to win. She struck the second ball of the over for a boundaryto bring the equation down to four in four, but was then run out off thepenultimate ball for 23. With Bangladesh needing two off the last ball,Jahanara Alam kept her cool to whip Harmanpreet Kaur to deep mid-wicket andspark wild celebrations in the camp.[image: Poonam Yadav was outstanding, returning 4-0-9-4]Poonam Yadav was outstanding, returning 4-0-9-4
Yadav finished with incredible figures of 4-0-9-4 but it wasn’t enough toget her side over the line.
Earlier, Salma Khatun’s decision to send India in to bat was vindicatedwith Bangladesh reducing the Kaur-led side to 32/4 inside the first 10overs.
Smriti Mandahana was the first to fall, run out in the fourth over of theinnings for 7. Sharma, batting at No.3, then paid the price for swingingacross the line as she chopped Alam back on to her stumps. Just three ballslater, Bangladesh got the big fish in Raj for 11.[image: The Indian top order collapsed in the face of some good work on thefield by Bangladesh]The Indian top order collapsed in the face of some good work on the fieldby Bangladesh
Raj went back to a Kubra delivery looking to work it to the on side, butthe extra bounce did her in and all she could manage was a top edgestraight to Hoque at mid-off and India slipped to 28/3 in the eighth over.Things then went from bad to worse for the six-time champions as AnujaPatil was run out soon after.
Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy stitched together a 30-run stand for the fifthwicket before the latter was castled by Khatun for 11. Bhatia and ShikhaPandey were dismissed in quick succession too and India at 74/7 in 15 overswere staring down the barrel.[image: Harmanpreet Kaur led the Indian revival with a 42-ball 56]Harmanpreet Kaur led the Indian revival with a 42-ball 56
That was when Kaur decided to take matters into her own hands. With theexperienced Goswami by her side, the India captain began looking for thebig hits, and swept Khatun to the deep square-leg fence to bring up India’s100 and then followed it up with an exquisite inside-out shot over thecovers to reach her fifth half-century in the format in just 38 deliveries.
She finally fell off the last ball of the innings for 56, having scoredexactly half of India’s total runs.
On the day, though, her brilliant batting effort as well as Yadav’s superspell went in vain as Bangladesh played as a team and won the big moments.