Sultana, Moni fifties help Bangladesh register their highest successful ODI chase

Bangladesh completed their highest successful chase in ODIs and surged to the top of the women's World Cup Qualifier points table with a two-wicket victory over Ireland. Chasing 236, Ritu Moni's career-best unbeaten 67 off 61 balls helped Bangladesh recover from 94 for 5 and then 186 for 8 to win the match with eight balls to spare.

Moni and No.10 batter Nahida Akter shared an unbroken 54-run stand off just 34 balls, the highest for Bangladesh for the ninth wicket in ODIs and left Ireland all but out of contention for the qualifiers. Bangladesh are now on four points along with Pakistan and Scotland, and ahead on net run-rate while Ireland are fifth and winless. They have lost all three of the matches they've played so far.

Ireland will be gutted after they gave their best account of themselves with the bat, crossed 200 for the first time in the tournament and had Bangladesh on the ropes early on. Orla Prendergast's double strike in her first spell dismissed Farghana Hoque for a duck and Ishma Tanjim stunningly caught at first slip for 2. Bangladesh were 2 for 2 in the fifth over and stumbling.

Sharmin Akhter and the ever-reliable Nigar Sultana, fresh off a first century in the format against Thailand, steadied things with a 52-run third wicket stand but they were separated when Laura Delany hit Sharmin on the front pad and had her lbw. Sobhana Mostary only scored 7 but Bangladesh looked down and out in the 26th over when Sultana was caught behind off Jane Macquire after completing her sixth ODI half-century. Moni, new to the crease, was on just 4 at the time and had already been dropped once, on 0.

Ireland, who put down six catches against West Indies, would be left to regret their fielding blunders as Moni went on to punish them. She put on 45 with Fahima Khatun, who was bowled by Ava Canning for 28. When Jannatul Ferdus and Rabeya Khan were dismissed in the space of 16 deliveries, Bangladesh's fate appeared sealed but Moni never gave up.

She was strong on either side square of the wicket and down the ground and kept her composure, even with a required run-rate of more than seven an over in the dying phases. Moni reached fifty in the 48th over, off the 56th ball she faced, and she should have been out. She swiped Arlene Kelly to Macquire at square leg but hit the ball hard and flat and Macguire parried the ball over her head.

The drama was not over as Moni received treatment for what seemed to be a cramp of the calf muscle, with Bangladesh 14 runs away from victory from 14 balls. She resumed batting with renewed focus, hit the next ball for four and got the equation down to nine runs needed off the last 12 balls. Moni sealed the win with a six to leave Ireland wondering what more they could do to get a win in this tournament.

They recovered from the early run-out of Sarah Forbes as Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter put on 50 for the second wicket. Ferdus, who took five wickets in her third ODI against Thailand, was at it again and caught Lewis off a leading edge off her own bowling. Hunter was run out when she tried to push for two after hitting the ball into the leg side but Mostary ran from deep mid-wicket to gather the ball and fired in a strong throw to Sultana. Hunter was short of her ground.

Prendergast and Delany put on 72 runs for the fourth wicket and the latter went on to a fourth ODI half-century but then Ireland fell away. They lost 4 for 41 and legspinner Rabeya picked up 3 for 39. Still, Bangladesh needed to score more runs than they've ever done before to win an ODI. Their previous highest successful chase was 211 at the same ground six years ago. Nahida was batting at the end on that occasion too.

In the earlier match, Scotland notched up a second win in the campaign by defending 206 against Thailand in a low-scoring match at the LCCA.

Scotland were once again held together by captain Kathryn Bryce, who scored her second successive half-century, and the sixth of her ODI career. She is now the competition's top run-scorer. Bryce was supported by Ailsa Lister's run-a-ball 38, and the pair shared in a 67-run fourth-wicket stand which was the most profitable of the innings. Despite a lower order collapse that saw Scotland go from 141 for 4 to 206 all out, Megan McColl combined with the lower order for her first ODI fifty.

Thailand's spinners were responsible for Scotland losing six for 65 as left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong and offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu claimed six wickets between them. The delivery of the innings belonged to legspinner Suleeporn Laomi who bowled Katherine Fraser with a ball that pitched on middle and leg and straightened to take out middle stump.

Thailand had a decent start to the chase with a first-wicket stand of 41 but lost both openers in the same over. Rachel Slater had Nattaya Boochatham trapped lbw and then bowled Chanida Sutthiruang with a ball that tailed in from legstump and beat her flick. In her next over, Slater's full length was too good for Nannapat Koncharoenkai and beat her expansive drive to hit middle and leg stump and leave Thailand reeling on 46 for 36.

From there, it was all spin and Natthakan Chantham, who held up her end while Abtaha Maqsood and Fraser plucked wickets at the other end. None of the Thai batters from No. 5 down got into double figures but Chantham, playing in her 11th ODI, brought up 500 runs in the format and reached a sixth half-century.

She was strong on the sweep and excellent with her feet but in the dying stages of the innings advanced on Maqsood and was bowled. Maqsood finished with figures of 3 for 26 from six overs and Fraser, who ended the game when Kamchomphu was caught at extra cover, picked up 3 for 28.

Scotland are level with Pakistan and Bangladesh on points but have played one more game and have a negative run rate. Their next match is against Bangladesh on Tuesday.