Harmanpreet Kaur smashed the 11th T20I fifty of her career as her 54-run unbeaten knock helped India chase down Bangladesh’s total with 22 balls to spare
Indian Women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur smashed the 11th half-century of her T20I career as she helped her side to a commanding 7-wicket win over Bangladesh women at the Sher-E-Bangla cricket stadium in Dhaka. The two teams squared off in the first T20I and the Indian eves proved to be too powerful for their opponents.
Needing 115 runs to win, India’s chase got off to a shaky start as swashbuckling opener Shafali Verma was dismissed on a duck however, Smriti Mandhana scored a handy 38-run knock before she was joined by skipper Hamanpreet.
Kaur received two lifelines as the Bangladesh side dropped her twice in the game which proved to be a lethal mistake as the 34-year-old would go on to score the match-winning knock of 54* runs in just 35 balls.
Harmanpreet’s knock was laced with 6 boundaries and two maximums, the second of which she smashed on the penultimate ball of the game before she smashed a boundary to end the contest with 22 balls to spare.
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Earlier, Harmanpreet had won the toss in the opener of the three-match T20I series and she invited the hosts to bat first. The Bangla Tigers began strongly but they couldn’t get partnerships going which resulted in a total collapse.
Shathi Rani Bormon scored 22 runs, Shamina Sultana added 17 while Sobhana Mostary played a handy 23-run knock. Shorna Akter top scored for her side, at 28*, helping her team reach 114/5 in 20 overs, but it wasn’t enough to stop the dominant Indian side.
In reply, Harmanpreet and Co. needed just 16.2 overs to reach the target of 115, and they had too much in the tank for Bangladesh. Sultana Khatun picked up two wickets for her side but she didn’t get the desired support from her fellow teammates.
A slack effort in the fielding cost the hosts a crucial game and they will be hoping to bounce back and level the series at 1-1 when the two teams meet again in the second T20I on 11 July at the same venue.
