Watch: Nigar Sultana breaks down in tears after Bangladesh end decade-long wait for T20 World Cup game win

Bangladesh women cricket team. (Photo Source: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Under Nigar Sultana’s inspirational captaincy, Bangladesh managed to win a match in the Women’s T20 World Cup after a gap of 10 years. The Asian side got the better of Scotland in the curtain raiser of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, by 16 runs on Thursday.

Chasing a target of 120 in their first Women’s T20 World Cup encounter, Scotland scratched and crawled their way to 103/7 in 20 overs. After Marufa Akter conceded just two runs off the final ball of the match, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana cut an emotional figure She was down on the ground with her head buried between her hands as she became emotional after the memorable win which will hold a special place in the nation’s cricketing folklore.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time. This means a lot for us and everyone in the team. It was a kind of wicket where you need time to settle and Shathi and Mostary managed to do that. The conditions were pretty hot and we ran a lot of twos. We are trying to do something different, Tej came up and tried to hit some boundaries, but unfortunately, she got out. We have the momentum, seeing the girls happy and smiling is the biggest inspiration for me,” Sultana said in the post-match presentation ceremony after Bangladesh ended a 16-match losing streak in the competition.

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Scotland let down by dismal fielding but lot of positives to take

Scotland bowlers gave the Bangladeshi batters a good run for their money after Nigar Sultana won the toss and opted to bat first. The Scottish spinners were excellent but they were let down by a poor fielding display as many catches were dropped and some mis-fields also prevented them from applying continuous pressure.

Sobhana Mostary top-scored for Bangladesh as she scored a crucial 36 off 38 balls. They eventually finished on 119/7. Off-spinner Saskia Horley was the pick of the Scotland bowlers as she finished with figures of 3/23 in just two overs.

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With the bat, no one managaed to score at a strike rate of 100. Wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce open the innings and remained unbeaten on 49 off 52 balls. However, no other batter managed to keep her company as Scotland ended their 20 overs at 103/7. Ritu Moni was the best bowler of show for Bangladesh as she conceded 15 runs in four overs and bagged two wickets.