Bangladesh set a 118-run target for India in the third women's T20 International in Sylhet on Thursday. 

On winning the toss, Harmanpreet Kaur opted to field first thanks to a mild breeze and cloud cover over Sylhet. 

But the move did not yield the desired result from the Indian perspective, as Bangladesh raced to 44 for no loss in the six powerplay overs.

The hosts' brisk start was largely due to the batting of Dilara Akter who struck a few boundaries and negotiated the Indian bowlers without much difficulty early on at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, Bangladesh looked determined to give a better account of themselves and keep the rubber alive, two days after being shot out for 119 at the same venue.

With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the objective is to finalise their middle-order, which has been having some difficulty.

Even as Dilara kept the scoreboard moving at a fair clip, Bangladesh lost their first wicket when Murshida Khatun was run out by the Deepti Sharma-Richa Ghosh combo.

The star performer of the series opener, medium pacer Renuka Singh dealt a big blow on Bangladesh when her slower delivery on the leg side made contact with Dilara's gloves on its way to Ghosh, even as the batter looked to hit it hard over the square leg region. The soft dismissal hurt the home team as the India bowlers looked to settle into a nice rhythm.

At the end of the 10th over, Bangladesh were 66 for two, with their captain Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary in the middle.

A poor example of running between the wickets led to the dismissal of Sobhana, the diving batter failing to beat Renuka's throw at the striker's end.

Fahima Khatun was out the first ball, given lbw off Shreyanka Patil after the new batter shuffled across to sweep the ball but missed the line completely.

Source: Hindustan Times 

BDST: 1855 HRS, MAY 2, 2024
MN/SMS