Australia women’s national team eventually held their nerve to secure a comfortable victory by 118 runs against hosts Bangladesh in the first One Day International in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Thursday.
The women in red and green were bundled out for just 95 chasing 214 as the tourists took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Australia were under pressure straightaway as Bangladesh bowlers bowled with accuracy and picked up regular wickets in the first 20 overs.
The visitors lost half their side midway through the innings and the Tigresses were on top.
The Aussies were 78 for five after 25.1 overs as captain Alyssa Healy (24), Phoebe Litchfield (0), Ellyse Perry (two), Beth Mooney (25) and Tahlia McGrath (nine) all went back to the pavilion.
But their lower middle-order stood tall and halted further slide as Annabel Sutherland played a brilliant innings, scoring an unbeaten 58 off 76 with five boundaries.
Ashleigh Gardner also chipped in with a valuable contribution of 32 off 38 with three fours during the Aussies’ rebuilding process.
But Alana King, coming in at No 9, was the star of the Australia batting line-up as the right-hander clubbed a superb 46 not out off just 31 deliveries, hitting five sixes and two fours to take the total past the 200-mark for the world champions.
King smashed four sixes in the last over against Fahima Khatun as the leg-spinner conceded 29 runs.
In reply, Bangladesh lost opener Fargana Hoque Pinky in the second ball of their chase.
As things happened, the home side also made a slow start and lost their second wicket in the eighth over when Murshida Khatun got out scoring 10.
Nigar and opener Sobhana Mostary then formed a 49-run partnership to help Bangladesh get back on track but the latter was soon cleaned up in the 18th over for a 38-ball 17 and that triggered a collapse.
Bangladesh were 70 for two before Mostary’s departure but later lost their remaining wickets for only 25 runs to get dismissed for just 95.
Australia were sharp in the field as usual as they produced three run outs in the middle stage of Bangladesh’s innings.
Among those three run out dismissals, Nigar (27 off 64) can only blame herself for losing the wicket as she reached her ground comfortably while taking a quick single but surprisingly did not place her bat.
Rather, she was trying to place her feet and wicket-keeper Healy duly capitalized on that with sharp glovework to remove her counterpart.
With Nigar’s wicket falling in the 27th over with just 83 runs on the board, Bangladesh’s last hope of chasing the 200-plus target was now gone.
Gardner was the best bowler on the day with three wickets coming at a cost of 22 runs.
Player of the match Alana was brilliant with the ball as well as she leaked just 12 runs from her 10 overs and took one scalp.
The second and penultimate match of the series will be played at the same venue Sunday.
1ST ODI
Australia women 213/7 (Sutherland 58*, Nahida 2/27) beat Bangladesh women 95 in 36 overs (Nigar 27, Gardner 3/22) by 118 runs
