Bangladesh women's cricket team, playing in their first ever ICC Women's World Cup game, failed to mark the occasion with a positive note as they fell to a 32-run defeat against South Africa at University Oval in Dunedin, New Zealand on Saturday. Despite staying in the hunt for most of the game, and probably edging it at the innings break, some tidy work with the ball and in the field came unstuck during the run chase, as failure to score freely in the first half of their innings left the Bangladeshi girls with simply too much to do in the final stretch, and they failed to keep up. Sent in to bat first, the Proteas women were bowled out for a moderate 207 in 49.5 overs, featuring a 71-run sixth-wicket stand between Chioe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp. The pair helped carry the South African team total past 200 after coming together at 119/5. Kapp contributed the team highest 42 runs off 45 balls with three boundaries, while Tryon scored a 40-ball 39, hitting one four and two sixes. Opener Laura made 41 runs off 53 deliveries with five hits to the fence in the other notable score. Read: T20I series drawn after AFG better BAN in low-scoring affair Left-arm pacer Fariha Islam Trisna, 19,  was the most successful among the Bangladesh bowlers, taking a career-best 3/35. Jahanara Alam and Ritu Moni claimed two wickets each conceding 28 and 36 runs respectively. Chasing a moderate total, Bangladesh  were dismissed for 175 in 49.3 overs, despite two good partnerships. Openers Shamima Sultana and  Akhter dropped anchor and Bangladesh lost their first wicket with 69 runs on the board - but they used up almost 20 overs in the process. Sharmin contributed the highest 34 runs, but she struggled to get the bowlers away, taking 77 balls for a strike rate of just 44, despite four boundaries. Her partner Shamima fared marginally better in terms of strike rate, compiling 27 off 50 deliveries (strike rate 54). Read: Cricketers remember Warne in Pakistan vs Australia test Even captain Nigar Sultana was tied down, scoring a painstaking 29 off 59 balls (strike rate 49) as runs dried up in the middle overs as well. When Salma Khatun was dismissed cheaply for 2, Bangladesh were 113/6 in the 36th over, and the game looked out of reach. That brought Ritu Moni (27 runs off 38 balls) out to join Rumana Ahmed (21 off 32), and they rallied with a spunky partnership of 53 off 10 overs that brought Bangladesh within range again. But when the partnership was broken, the required rate had grown to 10 an over, and that was always going to be a tall order for the tail, who managed to only add another nine runs to the scoreboard, as South Africa applied the finishing touches.  Ayabonga Khaka finished with figures of 4/43 off 10 overs, including three maidens, and in the process became the fifth South African to take 100 ODI wickets. It was also her second four-for in ODIs. She was adjudged player of the match. Bangladesh will play their next match against hosts New Zealand on Monday (Mar 7).

In a match made solemn by tragic circumstances, an Australian team batting with two black armbands beat England by 12 runs Saturday in its opening match at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at Hamilton, New Zealand. Australia scored 310-3 batting first and a magnificent century from 79 balls by England’s Nat Sciver kept England in the match until the final over. Sciver was 109 not out at the end of an outstanding England run chase. England needed 36 from the last three overs, 26 from the last two and 16 from the final over but fell short, finishing 298-8. Jess Johansen who had given up 16 runs from her first two overs, mostly to Sciver, bowled the last over and held her nerve to clinch Australia’s win. The Australian players awoke on match day to news of the death in Thailand at 52 of the legendary Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne. That came only 24 hours after the loss of another Australia great, wicketkeeper/batsman Rod Marsh, who died aged 74. Also read: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022: Full Fixtures, Dates, Venues A minute’s silence was observed before the match, players from both teams standing with their heads bowed before the Australian anthem rang over a silent stadium. When Australia batted after losing the toss, it was almost with a sense of duty to make their own tribute to Warne and Marsh through their performance. It was a performance of which Warne and Marsh, who both were inspirational mentors to young Australian players, would have been proud. Opener Rachael Haynes made 130 from 131 balls and captain Meg Lanning 86 as Australia scored the highest total ever posted against England in a World Cup match. Haynes and Lanning put on 196 for Australia’s second wicket in the partnership on which the innings was founded. “It was hard at the beginning, they bowled well early on,” Lanning said. “Rachael played really well to weather the early storm. Rachel’s innings was brilliant. She was in control, got through early, took good risks at the right time. It’s certainly one of her best innings.” It was Haynes’ second century in one-day internationals and her highest score, eclipsing her 118 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane in 2019. Lanning posted her 18th one-day international half century and helped Haynes pace the Australian innings. At Dunedin, Ayabonga Khaka took 4-32, including her 100th wicket in one-day internationals, as South Africa beat Bangladesh by 32 runs. South Africa made 207 batting first after losing the toss. Opener Laura Wolvardt anchored the top of the order with 41 from 52 balls in challenging batting conditions. Bangladesh used its slow medium and spin bowlers to good effect on a slowish pitch at the University Oval, making strokeplay and placement difficult. Captain Sane Luus batted 50 minutes for 25 before being run out when South Africa was 119-5 in the 34th over, needing to lift its run rate. Also read: ICC Men's Best Cricketer Award January 2022: Ebadot Named in Final Three Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon took on the role of accelerating the scoring and combined in a partnership of 71 for the sixth wicket which lifted South Africa to 190-6. Kapp made 42 from 45 balls and Tryon 39 from 40. South Africa was 203-9 when Kapp was out in the 49th over. Bangladesh made a strong run at its winning target after Shamima Sultana (27) and Sharmin Akhter (34) shared a 69-run opening stand in 19.3 overs. Captain Nigar Sultana made 29, Ritu Moni 27 and Bangladesh was still in with a chance at 170-7 with four overs left. But Khaka helped suppress the Bangladesh chase. “We are proud of Ayabonga Khaka, she is our golden arm at the moment,” Luus said.

A 20-member Bangladesh National Women's Cricket team left Dhaka on Thursday for New Zealand to participate in the ICC Women's World Cup' 2022 beginning on March 4 . Bangladesh team, which  left the capital Thursday afternoon without one Covid infected cricketer and two supporting staff by a Singapore Airlines flight, is expected to reach Auckland Friday night at about 11 pm. The Bangladesh team has only five days preparations at home before departure, will have to go for a 10-day quarantine in hotel before starting the practices there. Also read: Bangladesh squad announced for ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier Nigar Sultana Joyti led-Bangladesh women's team will start their World Cup campaign taking on South Africa on March 5 though the tournament will start on March 4. In the remaining matches , Bangladesh will play Pakistan on March 14, West Indies on March 18, India on March 22, Australia on March 25 and England on March 27. Members of Bangladesh team: Nigar Sultana Joyti (captain) , Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Fargana Haque Pinki, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akhter, Sharmin Akhter Supta, Lata Mondal, Sobhana Mostary, Fariha Islam Trishna and Suriya Azmim. Also read: ICC Women's World Cup qualifiers postponed Reserve cricketers: Sanjida Akhter Meghla and Nuzhat Tasnia.

Touring Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team whitewashed hosts Zimbabwean Women’s team 3-0 in the three-match ODI series, outplaying them by seven wickets with 190 balls remaining in the 3rd and last match at the Queen’s Sports Club ground in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Monday. Bangladesh made a flying start in the three-match ODI series beating Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the first match on Wednesday and clinched the series crushing them by nine wickets in the 2nd match at the same venue last Saturday. Read:Women’s ODI: Bangladesh win 3-match ODI series beating Zimbabwe by 9 wkt In the day’s last and final ODI, Zimbabwean Women’s opted to bat first after winning the toss and they were bundled out cheaply for 72 runs in 27.2 overs with opener Sharne Mayers being the lone batter reaching the double digit of 39 runs, off 61 balls, featuring four boundaries. Bangladeshi left arm orthodox bowler Nahida Akter made the major damage in Zimbabwean innings grabbing five wickets for 21 with four maidens in her 10-over spell. Rumana Ahmed and Fariha Trisna took two wickets each conceding 7 and 17 runs respectively. Chasing a poor target of 73 runs in 50 overs, Bangladesh Women’s opened the innings and easily reached their target scoring 74 runs for the loss of three wickets in just 12 overs to earn another convincing victory in the series. Opener Murshida Khatun contributed 39 runs off 48 balls hitting five boundaries, captain Nigar Sultana made 27-ball 12 runs with a boundary while another opener Nuzhat Tasnia scored 24-ball 10 runs. Later, Nahida Akhter of Bangladesh was adjudged player of the match for her five-wicket haul (5/21). Nahida also named as the player of the series jointly for taking 11 wickets alongside Murshida Khatun, who scored 97 runs in the series.   Earlier, a 16-member Bangladesh women’s cricket team reached the Zimbabwean capital Harare on November 5 to participate in the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers’2021 in Zimbabwe. Bangladesh Women’s team played a three-match ODI series there against hosts Zimbabwe in Bulawayo as part of their preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2021, also scheduled for Zimbabwe from November 21 to December 5 next. Read:T20 World Cup 2021 Final: Preview of Australia vs. New Zealand Match Three top teams from 10-team qualifying rounds, will earn the right to play in the eight-team final round along with former champions Australia, England, South Africa, India and hosts New Zealand from March 4 to April 3 in 2022.  Bangladesh SQUAD: Nigar Sultana Joty (Captain), Murshida Khatun, Nuzhat Tasnia, Fargana Hoque Pinky, Rumana Ahmed, Ritu Moni, Nahida Akter, Salma Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Lata Mondol, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Khadiza-Tul Kubra and Shanjida Akther Maghla

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today (Tuesday) postponed two more  qualifying events including ICC Women's World Cup due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19 ) pandemic.