Murshida, Nigar headline huge win as Bangladesh make semi-final

Bangladesh qualified for the semi-final of the Women's Asia Cup 2024 after beating Malaysia by 114 runs in what turned out to be a complete mismatch.

Batting first, Bangladesh posted 191 for 2, their second-highest total in T20Is. Murshida Khatun scored a career-best 80 off 59 balls and captain Nigar Sultana an unbeaten 62 off 37.

In response, Malaysia could muster only 77 for 8. They ended their campaign without a win but one hopes they would be richer for the experience. To be competitive at this level, they need to improve in all three departments: batting, bowling and fielding.

Malaysia captain Winifred Duraisingam opened the bowling and started with a wide. Dilara Akter mistimed the next ball towards mid-on but instead of going for the catch, the fielder was happy to stop the ball on the bounce. Those two deliveries were a harbinger of what was to come next. Against the left-right opening pair of Dilara and Murshida, the Malaysia bowlers erred on both sides of the wicket and lacked the backing of their fielders.

Still, Bangladesh could score only 25 in the first four overs. On the first ball of the fifth, Aina Najwa dropped Murshida when the batter was on 13 off 15 balls. Adding insult to injury, Dilara smashed the last three balls of the over for 6, 4 and 4. Murshida got into the act with a boundary off Ainna Hamizah Hashim in the next over as Bangladesh finished the powerplay on 51 for no loss.

The 65-run opening stand, in 7.4 overs, finally came to an end when Dilara hit Mahirah Izzati Ismail towards square leg where Aisya Eleesa dived forward to take an excellent catch in a rare show of brilliance by a Malaysia fielder. Dilara made 33 off just 20 balls.

Murshida was on 28 off 26 balls at that point. But after Dilara fell, she picked up the pace. With back-to-back boundaries off Ismail, she moved to 53 off 45 balls - her second half-century in as many games. With a slog-swept six off Elsa Hunter in the 17th over, she took Bangladesh past 150.

Murshida and Nigar added 89 off 56 balls for the second wicket before Murshida fell to Hunter with substitute fielder Dhanusri Muhunan taking a sharp catch at extra cover.

But Muhunan's effort was an aberration. Malaysia dropped two more catches after that: in the penultimate over, Najwa put down Rumana Ahmed at square leg and in the 20th, Nur Aishah did the same for Nigar at deep midwicket. Nigar brought up her fifty, off 34 balls, immediately after that and wrapped up the innings with a six off the final ball.

It was no surprise that Malaysia fell well short of their target. In the absence of Marufa Akter, who was rested, Jahanara Alam took the new ball for Bangladesh and struck straightaway. With her second delivery, she had Hashim edging behind to Dilara for a regulation catch.

Nineteen-year-old Hunter was the only Malaysia batter who looked equipped to handle Bangladesh's bowling. Technically as sound as anyone in world cricket, Hunter hit four boundaries in her 20 off 23 balls. But she fell in the sixth over, giving a return catch to left-arm spinner Nahida Akter while trying to work the ball on the leg side. Earlier, Hunter was also the best bowler for her side, picking up 1 for 27 from four overs with her offspin.

Malaysia did not lose another wicket till the tenth over but the scoring rate remained around four. It dipped even further in the second half of the innings. Apart from Hunter, Ismail, with 15 off 25 balls, was the only one to reach the double digits.