Bangladesh's struggles in the Women's T20I Tri-Series in Scotland continued as skipper Nigar Sultana Joty's brilliant knock could not prevent an eight-run defeat against the Netherlands at the Grange Cricket Club Ground in Edinburgh on Sunday.
After an eight-wicket loss to hosts Scotland in their opening fixture, the Tigresses were hoping to bounce back but fell short despite a spirited chase led by their captain, who scored a superb 77 off 51 deliveries.
Chasing 163 for victory, Bangladesh endured a shaky start as openers Dilara Akter and Sharmin Akter were dismissed early, leaving the side reeling at 13 for 2 inside the first four overs. With the required rate steadily climbing, Joty walked in and once again shouldered the responsibility of anchoring the innings.
Juairiya Ferdous contributed 22 from 24 balls to help stabilise the innings before departing in the ninth over. From there, Joty took charge, mixing composure with aggression as she reached her 12th T20I half-century in just 39 balls.
However, wickets continued to tumble at the other end, making the task increasingly difficult. Leg-spinner Silver Siegers struck crucial blows in the middle overs, finishing with 2 for 24 to leave Bangladesh needing a late surge.
With 41 runs required from the final three overs, Ritu Moni offered valuable support with a quickfire 17 off 12 deliveries, helping keep Bangladesh's hopes alive. The equation was reduced to 18 runs from the final over, with Joty unbeaten on 73 and still threatening to pull off an unlikely victory.
But Dutch all-rounder Heather Siegers turned the match decisively in her side's favour. She removed Ritu Moni with the first ball of the over before dismissing Joty on the fourth delivery as the Bangladesh captain holed out at long-on after a magnificent innings.
The Netherlands then wrapped up the victory by claiming another wicket off the final ball, restricting Bangladesh to 154 for 8.
Earlier, Bangladesh's bowlers had fought back well after the Netherlands made a strong start. Openers Heather Siegers and Phebe Molkenboer added 57 runs before Rabeya Khan provided the breakthrough by dismissing Molkenboer for 29.
Fariha Trishna was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers, returning figures of 2 for 26 from her four overs. She removed both Heather Siegers, who top-scored with 52, and Sterre Kalis in the 16th over to halt the Dutch momentum. Rabeya Khan and Marufa Akter also chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Despite those efforts, late hitting from captain Babette de Leede and Robine Rijke helped the Netherlands collect 45 runs from the final four overs to post a challenging 162 for 5.
The result marked the Netherlands women's first-ever T20I victory over Bangladesh, having lost all three previous meetings between the sides.
Bangladesh will now face Scotland on Tuesday, seeking their first win of the tournament and a much-needed boost ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup.
