Manchester, June 25 (IANS) Opener Shafali Verma struck a scintillating half-century as India chased down a target of 137 with 19 balls to spare and defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in Match 23 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.

Chasing a modest target, India came out with aggressive intent and never allowed Bangladesh’s bowlers to settle down. Shafali led the charge from the very first over, smashing two boundaries off Marufa Akter to collect 11 runs and provide India with the ideal start.

The opener continued her assault in the next over, launching a massive six before adding another boundary as India’s scoring rate climbed rapidly. At the other end, Smriti Mandhana also looked to attack and struck consecutive boundaries against Marufa. However, her brief stay ended when she attempted another big shot and was caught by Rabeya Khan at cover for eight off six balls.

The early wicket did little to slow India down. Shafali continued to find the boundary regularly while Yastika Bhatia settled in quickly and rotated the strike well.

The pair dominated the Powerplay, punishing anything loose and keeping Bangladesh under constant pressure. India raced to 63/1 after six overs, their highest-ever Powerplay score in Women’s T20 World Cup history. The previous record was 59, set earlier in the tournament against the Netherlands.

Shafali brought up her half-century in just 29 deliveries during the seventh over. It was the second-fastest fifty by an Indian batter in Women’s T20 World Cup history and another reminder of the destructive form she has shown throughout the tournament.

Just when she looked set for an even bigger score, her innings ended unusually in the ninth over. After missing a delivery, Shafali stepped out of her crease and was stumped by the wicketkeeper. She walked back after a brilliant 53 off 34 balls that included eight fours and a six.

By the time of her dismissal, India had already taken firm control of the chase.

Yastika and Richa Ghosh then focused on maintaining the momentum. Richa attacked with two boundaries in the 11th over as India looked to finish the game quickly and improve their net run rate.

Bangladesh found some success through their spinners. Yastika, after making a useful 23 off 18 balls with three boundaries, was dismissed in the 12th over. Rabeya Khan struck again in the following over when she trapped Richa Ghosh leg-before wicket for 10.

The wickets briefly slowed India’s progress. Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur took some time to settle as Bangladesh attempted to create pressure with a few tight overs.

Jemimah eventually broke free in the 16th over with a six before collecting more runs to bring India within touching distance of victory. She followed it up with back-to-back boundaries in the next over and almost finished the chase herself before being dismissed for 26 off 15 deliveries. Her entertaining knock included three fours and a six.

With only a handful of runs needed, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma completed the formalities as India reached the target in 16.5 overs to secure a comfortable five-wicket victory.

Earlier, Bangladesh posted 136/8 after being asked to set the tone with the bat. Their innings was built around useful contributions from opener Juairiya Ferdous and captain Nigar Sultana.

After losing Dilara Akter for four in the second over to Renuka Singh Thakur, Bangladesh recovered through a 51-run partnership between Ferdous and Sobhana Mostary. Ferdous played the more attacking role and struck five boundaries during her 33-run knock, while Mostary added 22 off 26 deliveries.

India’s fielders put down several chances during the innings, allowing Bangladesh to build partnerships and maintain a steady scoring rate.

Following Ferdous’ dismissal, Nigar Sultana anchored the innings and later accelerated brilliantly. The Bangladesh captain struck four boundaries in a single over off Nandini Sharma and finished with 32 off 24 balls. Her dismissal in the 17th over, however, proved a turning point as Bangladesh lost momentum during the closing stages.

Radha Yadav was India’s most successful bowler, claiming 3/28 and breaking crucial partnerships throughout the innings. Renuka Singh Thakur and Nandini Sharma picked up one wicket each.

Shree Charani once again impressed in the death overs, claiming two wickets in the final over to finish with 2/24. The wickets took her tally to 12 in the tournament, making her the first Indian woman to take 12 wickets in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup and surpassing Poonam Yadav’s previous national record of 10 wickets.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 136/8 in 20 overs (Juairiya Ferdous 33, Nigar Sultana 32; Radha Yadav 3-28, Shree Charani 2-21) lost to India 139/5 in 16.5 overs (Shafali Verma 53, Jemimah Rodrigues 26, Yastika Bhatia 23; Ritu Moni 2-29, Rabeya Khan 1-19) by 5 wickets

–IANS

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