Bangladesh spinners excelled once again, but it was not enough to prevent a 21-run defeat against England in the second match of the ongoing ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup at Sharjah on Saturday.
Bangladesh鈥檚 batting has always been a concern for the side. They knew their shortcomings but still played with hope of making history against the three-time runners-up and 2009 champions.
However, spin alone cannot be the sole weapon to secure matches on the global stage. The spinners did their job well as they limited the former champions to 118-7.
Bangladesh spinners took five while pacers clinched the other two wickets. But facing English spinners on such low-track was equally difficult for the Bangladesh batters.
In reply, Bangladesh鈥檚 batting woes continued as they failed to chase the modest target, ending with 97-7 in 20 overs.
The result was a disappointment for Bangladesh, who won against Scotland in the tournament opener for their first T20 World Cup win in a decade.
Experienced leg-spinner Fahima Khatun, who claimed 2-18, expressed her disappointment and urged the batters to play with greater intent.
鈥業 think when we played our first innings we did really well as a bowling group. This target was really achievable, but we didn鈥檛 play in the powerplay. We need to improve, more good intent as a batting group. So, it was very upsetting from a batting perspective,鈥� said Fahima in the post-match press conference.
She also reckoned the slow outfield of the Sharjah cricket stadium made things difficult for the batters but hailed Sobhana Mostary, who showed resilience playing a lone hand and scored the highest 44 off 48 balls.
鈥榊es, I think Shobana Mostary played a really good role. She played lots of shots in the line, but lots of boundary, cut boundary, like there are two runs, that鈥檚 two runs. Very slow, outfield is very slow. So, need to more get around in a power play and like more rotation. That will be easier for the batting group,鈥� Fahima added.
Captain Nigar Sultana Joty, who scored team鈥檚 second highest 15, rued the missed opportunity. The captain also addressed the areas they need to improve.
鈥榃e missed a good opportunity to beat a good side. Our bowlers did a good job, but our batters were disappointed,鈥� said Joty.
Bangladesh will now shift their focus to their next match against the West Indies, to be held at the same venue on October 10.聽聽