The Bangladeshis did give Australia a scare at the start of the run chase, yet the Meg Lanning led all-conquering force proved too good for the challenge once again and eventually coasted to another comprehensive win in the ICC Women’s World Cup on March 25.
Chasing a paltry 136-run target, the mighty Aussies were reduced to 29 for three at one stage in their little chase. However, Beth Mooney’s fine hand of 66 off 75 helped them recover well and reach home at the lost of only two further wickets in the innings.
To Bangladesh’s credit, they dismissed half the Australian side and kept them on the park for over 32 overs of the allotted 43 overs in a weather-affected game. This thanks largely to their experienced off-spinner Salma Khatun, who finished off the day with a three-wicket haul and exceptional figures of three for 23.
Khatun, Bangladesh’s stand-out performer for the tournament, now has eight scalps for the tournament from six matches with an excellent economy rate of only 3.63 while averaging 22.25 per piece.
Either side of Khatun, however, it was a case of real struggle for the Bangladeshis, who managed to score only 135/6 in the first half despite batting their entire quota. Lata Mondal top-scored with a 33 off 63, while opener Sharmin Akhter with 24 off 56 was their second-best performer with the bat in hand.
Ashleigh Gardner (2/23) and Jess Jonassen (2/13) took two wickets apiece in their respective spells, while Megan Schutt (1/25) and Annabel Sutherland (1/22) chipped in with miserly spells to collectively put the hapless Bangladesh side under huge pressure.
On a bowling day, the Australians lost their much-vaunted top three – Alyssa Healy (15), Rachael Haynes (7) and Lanning (0) – before they reached the 30-run mark to Khatun’s absolute brilliant off-spin bowling. But the experience and the ability of Mooney helped them avoid too many other jitters and they eventually reached home quite comfortably.
Brief scores
Bangladesh 135/6 in 43 overs (Mondal 33; Jonassen 2/13, Gardner 2/23) lost to Australia 136/5 in 32.1 overs (Mooney 66*, Sutherland 26*; Khatun 3/23) by 5 wickets
