New Zealand canter to nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh

PTI, Mar 7, 2022, 1:30 PM IST

Dunedin: Hosts New Zealand registered their first win of the tournament as they inflicted a nine-wicket defeat on Bangladesh in a rain-curtailed ICC Women’s World Cup match here on Monday

New Zealand bowlers first restricted Bangladesh to 140 for 8 after a long rain delay before Suzie Bates hit a strokeful unbeaten half-century to power the hosts to a victory with 42 balls to spare in the match that was reduced to 27 overs apiece.

The win earned New Zealand, who lost to West Indies in the tournament opener, two valuable points as they rose to the third place while, Bangladesh remain winless from their two matches and are in seventh spot.

Chasing the target, the White Ferns had a sedate start. Their innings was further dented in the seventh over when spinner Salma Khatun sent skipper Sohie Devine (14) packing but apart from that the Bangladesh bowlers didn’t bother the hosts much.

Bates used all her experience and guile in her 79 from just 68 deliveries. She stitched a match-winning 108-run stand with Amelia Kerr (47 not out).

It was Bates’ 28th ODI fifty as she became just the sixth batter to score 1000 runs in Women’s World Cup matches when she found the boundary late in her innings. The all-rounder hit eight fours, two more than the entire Bangladesh team, while Kerr found the fence four times.

Earlier put in to bat by New Zealand after a rain delay that lasted four hours, openers Fargana Hoque (52) and Shamima Sultana (33) gave Bangladesh, who lost against South Africa in their campaign opener, a bright start.

With the five-over power play complete, Bangladesh looked to be racing to a competitive total on 41 for no loss. But the opening partnership was put to an end by spin all-rounder Frances Mackay (1/24). The 31-year-old right-arm off-spinner than went on to effect half-centurian Hoque’s run out in the 15th over.

After that it was an Amy Satterthwaite (3/25) show as the veteran all-rounder bowled a crucial spell, taking three wickets from five overs.

Bangladesh couldn’t recover from the loss of their openers as only two more batters reached double digit scores.

The Nigar Sultana-led side crumbled under the pressure, slipping to 81 for three after 15 overs, their positive start undone by losing three wickets for 21 runs.

Ritu Moni (4) could not make her usual cameo as Devine pouched the catch that gave Satterthwaite her 50th wicket in ODI cricket.

With the feat she joins an illustrious group to have made 3,000 runs and taken 50 wickets in one-day internationals, including the likes of Charlotte Edwards, Karen Rolton and Stafanie Taylor.