Good afternoon sports fans, I hope you’re well and you’ve got that Friday Feeling! The ICC Woman’s T20 World Cup continues out in the Middle East with one game yesterday and one today, here’s how the exciting cricket played out!
Yesterday’s game hosted by the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium saw tournament Host’s Bangladesh face a West Indies team who have been experiencing mixed form in the competition.
Windies had a poor start losing to South Africa by 10 wickets. They bounced back though with a strong win over Scotland.
On the other side of the draw Bangladesh got their campaign underway with a win against, again, Scotland (poor old Scottish lasses) but then were beaten reasonably easily by England.
West Indies won the toss and put BNG into bat, trusting their batters to be able to chase the game down. Bangladesh, perhaps lacking in confidence and maybe feeling a little hard done too for not being able to host the tournament proper, didn’t start well with the bat. Dilara Akter Dola was dismissed for a run a ball 19, Shathi Rani chewed up 12 balls for a score of 9 and the brilliantly named Sobhana Mostary looked bright for a time but was sent back to the hutch for 16. BNG captain, keeper and best player Nigar Sultana Joty showed some grit for a knock of 39 but that was about all Bangladesh had to offer, the Tigresses were all out for 103.
The Windies, after their heavy defeat to South Africa, needed to continue in winning ways to give themselves best chance of qualification.
Chasing down an under par 103 but with the combined pressure of fifteen Caribbean nation-states and territories on their shoulders, they needed to start well……..and they did!
Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor opened the batting and struck heartily for 34 and 27. Shemaine Campbelle played well for 21 and Deandra Dottin cameoed at the end of the innings for a 7 ball 19. The Windies, found some calypso spirit and had the runs scored in less than 13 overs.
West Indies are currently top of group B and in a strong position for qualifying to the finals. As for Bangladesh, I think that’s them pretty much done. Cricket is a proud sport the Bangladesh are a proud nation, they will be desperate to finish strong in their last game against South Africa.
Today’s game was between Pakistan and Australia and I’m afraid to say Pakistan have been mullered! Australia are like the Peaky Blinders………who can stop them.
Pakistan’s cricketing woes continue across the Arabian Sea at Multan with England men pulling off a remarkable, momentous, record breaking and history making victory over Pakistan men. After scoring a huge 556 in their first innings Pakistan now hold the unenviable record of scoring the highest first innings total to then go on to lose by an innings. Thanks to a double century from Joe Root and a triple century from Harry Brook England went on to score a really huge 823 before bowling Pakistan out for the second time in the match and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
I’m actually a big fan of Pakistan cricket, in no small part perhaps because PAK skipper Shan Masood is also Yorkshire skipper. I don’t like to see them get knocked about too badly. That said, this was an England master class, I often talk about “exciting cricket” well the last 5 days of test cricket has been some of the most exciting I’ve ever seen! Roll on the next game!
Back to the T20 World Cup, it’s a double header tomorrow with New Zealand hoping to secure a win over a relegated and dejected Sri Lanka, followed by Bangladesh facing a South Africa team fighting hard for qualification………it’s going to be great!
Until then,
All the best,
Nick
All The Cricket 
Leave a comment