Dhaka – Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team will play Ireland in the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday (Sept 5) at 3 pm at Forthill in Dundee, aiming to assure a final berth that will also be their ticket to the World Cup finals. In the day’s other semi, Group B champions Thailand will face Group B runners-up Papua New Guinea at 7 pm at the same venue.
The finalists of the eight-team league-cum-knockout basis tournament will qualify for the final round of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.
The final match will held on Saturday at the same venue.Earlier, Bangladesh Women’s team, the reigning Asian champions, emerged Group A champions with all-win record to reach the semifinal securing full six points from straight three matches eliminating hosts Scotland by 13 runs by D/L method in the last group engagement on Tuesday.
Bangladesh, which was placed in Group A along with Papua New Guinea, USA and hosts Scotland, beat USA by eight wickets in the first match and earned 2nd successive victory defeating Papua New Guinea (PNG) by 6 runs
On other hand, Papua New Guinea eliminated United States of America (USA) beating them by 22 runs also by D/L method in their last group affairs at the Arbroath ground in Scotland on Tuesday.
In their last group match on Tuesday, Bangladesh scored 104 for 4 in 17 overs before rain stopped match.Sent into bat first, Bangladesh scored at a good rate despite losing three wickets –Sanjida Islam (4), Murshida Khatun (26) and Ritu Moni (4) –for 62 in 10.3 overs.
In the 4th wicket stand, wicketkeeper-batsman Nigar Sultana pairing Fargana Hoque contributed 39 runs to repair the early damage.
Fargana Hoque scored 23 off 22 balls featuring one boundary while Nigar Sulatan remained unbeaten on 35 runs off 37 balls hitting three fours at that time.
Later, Nigar Sultana of Bangladesh was adjudged player of the match.Ke Bryce and AM Maqsood grabbed two wickets each conceding 13 and 21 runs respectively.
After the rain, hosts Scotland opened the innings with a tough revised target of 63 runs in 8 overs, but they scored only 49 runs for 6 in quota 8 overs with opener KE Bryce was the only batter to reach the double figure of 21 runs and conceded 13 runs defeat.
Khadija Tul Kubra, Nahida Akhter and Ritu Moni took one wicket each conceding 7, 10 and 17 runs respectively In the day’s other match, Papua New Guinea (PNG) scored 133 for 3 in 20 overs, riding on unbeaten 58 runs by all-rounder cum player of the match Sibona Jimmy at Arbroath ground in Scotland.
In reply, USA scored 53 for 3 in 10 overs before the match was stopped due to rain. Later, their revised winning target was fixed at 117 runs in 17 overs, but they managed 94 runs for 7 in stipulated 17 overs, to suffer a 22-run defeat.UNB
