An unbeaten half-century from Rubya Haider and incisive bowling by Marufa Akter powered Bangladesh to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their ICC Women’s World Cup clash here on Thursday.
Rubya anchors the chase
Chasing a modest 130, Bangladesh lost both openers early but Rubya steadied the innings. The 28-year-old mixed patience with aggression, finishing on 54 not out off 77 balls with eight boundaries. She added 62 runs for the third wicket with skipper Nigar Sultana (23 off 44) to all but seal the contest. The highlight of her knock came in the 19th over, when she struck three boundaries off veteran left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu, shifting the momentum decisively. Bangladesh reached 131 for three in 31.1 overs, with 113 balls to spare.
Marufa strikes early
Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers dismantled Pakistan for just 129 in 38.3 overs. Young pacer Marufa Akter (2/31) gave her side a dream start, dismissing openers Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin off successive deliveries in the first over. Veteran left-arm spinner Nahida Akter (2/19) and teenager Shorna Akter (3/5) kept the pressure on, ensuring Pakistan never recovered.
Pakistan falter again
Muneeba Ali (17) and Rameen Shamim (23) briefly resisted with a 42-run stand, but once they departed, Pakistan’s innings collapsed. With only 14 boundaries in total, their scoring rate remained under four runs per over. Shorna cleaned up the tail, ending Pakistan’s innings inside 39 overs.
The result highlights Bangladesh’s growing depth in both batting and bowling, while Pakistan’s batting frailties once again came to the fore.
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