Women’s ODI World Cup: Live Blog – Pakistan vs Bangladesh

She appears to be in a hurry. A couple of ferocious slaps through backward point and an elegant cover drive to trample over an exhausted Pakistani side.

Drinks are on the field now! Bangladesh are on the precipice of victory and should get the job done in a few minutes. Pouncing on a short and wide freebie, Rubya raised fifty in her maiden international in the 50-over format.

Nigar Sultana has looked in sublime touch in this puny pursuit of 130. She puts her dancing shoes on, keeps her shape and hits through the line. Didn’t try to smack the ball too hard, just focused on timing it well.

An absolute peach and Pakistan opine there’s an edge. They’ve reviewed the caught-behind shout. Oh this is a fabulous call. The ball has actually clipped the back pocket on its way to the keeper. Rubya was opened up in defence, and there was excitement in the defending camp as she played and missed.

Floaty deliveries outside the off-stump have gone the distance as Rubya Haider enters her 40s with some sizzling strokeplay. Pakistan are merely going through the motions at this point as their bowlers have nothing much to play with.

Nigar Sultana has smashed a hat-trick of fours against Rameen Shamim as Bangladesh inch closer to the target despite the fall of Sharmin Akhter who was rapped on the pads.

A successful review by Pakistan! Fargana Hoque’s nervous presence comes to an end. A length delivery around middle and leg, Fargana Hoque tries to block. She plays and missed instead as as the ball nips in sharply. Struck on the pad and the replays confirm three reds. Alike Bangladesh, Pakistan have struck early. Hasn’t been easy to bat against the new ball as it’s hooping around the corners.

Rubya Haider looks to defend, but the extra bounce catches her by surprise. The ball thuds into the gloves. She is in pain and the physio is out in the middle to tend to her discomfort.

That’s an emphatic bowling performance by Bangladesh as they have rattled out Pakistan for 120. Marufa Akter laid the platform early with a couple of wickets as the ball danced to her tunes in the PowerPlay, with Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin departing for nought. Once the promising partnership between Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shamim was broken, Bangladesh grew into a behemoth and asserted complete dominance by picking up wickets at regular intervals.

Pakistan have simply failed to get going in this innings and Bangladesh should be able to get their campaign off to a winning note if they bat sensibly. The scoreboard is hardly going anywhere and the women in green are losing wickets at regular intervals too with spinners doing a fantastic job in the middle. Pakistan in all kinds of trouble.

Overcooked outside off, Sana’s eyes lit up and she laces the square drive through point. Some issue with the bails which is causing a hold-up in play.

Sidra hit consecutive fours off Fahima Khatun to get her innings underway but a googly from Rabeya Khan that dips and grips sends her packing.

It’s very hard to say from the side-on replay whether it was bat first or pad first but the third umpire, after much deliberation, overturns the on-field verdict.

That’s a soft dismissal. Rameen Shamim has chipped the ball right back to the spinner. An easy catch taken in her followthrough by Nahida Akter and another set batter departs. With two newbies at the crease, Pakistan will have to embark on the repair job again. They lost two wickets in quick succession earlier in the innings, and that’s been the case once more.

Drinks are on the field now. Bangladesh right on top at the moment. Marufa Akter got them early wickets to set the tone – there was a handy partnership following that – but Nahida Akter’s double whammy has put Bangladesh in pole position once again.

The partnership has been terminated. Nahida Akter entices Muneeba Ali to throw the kitchen sink at the cut but she ends up slicing it towards point where Nishita took a sharp catch to her left. Muneeba Ali fails to build on her start.

Pakistan were taken aback by two wickets upfront but this pair has shown good application to stabilize the innings. A run-out appeal went upstairs but the bowler couldn’t make any contact with the ball as it was drilled back towards her and onto the stumps, rendering the non-striker safe.

Marufa Akter bowled a dream first over to send shivers down Pakistan’s spine in Colombo. While a booming inswinger caught Omaima Sohail on the crease and the bail went flying off its groove, one-drop batter Sidra Amin played on to leaver her side in a shambolic situation.