Bangladesh defeated Scotland by 16 runs to end their ten-year winless streak in the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana’s 100th Twenty20 International match saw them win for the first time away from home in the competition, ending a 16-match losing run. Let’s examine the pivotal moments that enabled Bangladesh to complete this remarkable triumph.

Bangladesh’s unexpected 10-year, 16-match losing run in T20 World Cups has ended with their first tournament match victory away from home—a competition they were supposed to be hosting. They overcame Scotland by 16 runs in the opening game of the women’s T20 World Cup 2024, albeit it was complex and laborious at times.

Scotland’s first World Cup debut was a sobering experience for the team, and the match took place in Sharjah. Of the 15 borders that were set between the two teams, they were only able to handle five.

Playing in her 100th Twenty20 International, Bangladeshi captain Nigar Sultana won the toss and elected to bat first. The strategy of fielding first and employing draining temperatures (a high of 38°C) to deplete the team’s energy was both sensible.

However, there were many issues with the application. In order to achieve their total of 119 for 9, they had to run a lot. Shathi Rani’s 29 and Sobhana Mostary’s 36, both career-bests in the format, were their most notable efforts.

The first of six wickets to fall for just 50 runs in 49 deliveries was Rani, the second wicket. Saskia Horley, an offspinning all-rounder, was the primary gainer from this chain reaction, as she achieved her highest T20I statistics of 3 for 13, despite just entering the attack in the 18th over. However, Bangladesh were at least able to force Scotland to chase a run-a-ball total thanks to Fahima Khatun’s 10 off 5—the only batter to record a double-figure score with a strike rate higher than 100.

When Marufa Afkter bowled an inducker that kept low to remove Kathryn Bryce, the run rate quickly increased, making it 31 for 2 at the conclusion of the powerplay. Throughout her four overs, Ritu Moni’s cunning medium pacers held Scotland in check; by the time she was done, Scotland needed to score 38 runs from the final three overs.

Sarah Bryce is so tired that there is no chance of getting such rests. On 29, after Sultana had missed the initial take behind the stumps and then bungled the second effort in front of them, the keeper-batter ought to have been ejected for sprinting past a delivery from Rabeya Khan and then somehow regaining her ground.

A diving Rabeya lost her straight heave in the last over, giving her another life. Three balls later, Rabeya made amends by taking Katherine Fraser out for Nahida Akter’s 100th T20I wicket. The left-arm spinner, who is 24 years and 215 days old, is the second-youngest person to achieve the milestone, behind England’s Sophie Ecclestone.

Sarah had a third respite at cover before finishing undefeated at 49. The fact that she was only able to hit one boundary out of her fifty-two deliveries pointed to a bigger problem that placed Scotland far behind their rivals.

The charge began at the beginning of Bangladesh’s 12th over in their innings.

With a partnership that started halfway through the fifth over, Rani and Mostary had gradually built the stage at 60 for 1. After the former took advantage of the fielding constraints in the first six overs to heave over mid-on and cut beyond point for her two, the latter scored the two boundaries on a stand that had reached 38 at the time. However, it was evident that Bangladesh was trying to attain a higher level of play than Scotland could when Rani skipped down the track to smash Katherine Fraser over midway.

Unfortunately, Mostary was stumped at the beginning of the 16th over after getting herself into a depression that had already seen Taj Nehar run out. Rani fell four balls later while trying to clear midwicket. To their credit, Scotland had maintained control over the situation by using only spin 11 overs after the end of the fifth over, which encouraged mistakes.

Although they only hit four more boundaries in the last eight overs, Bangladesh came within a run of doubling their score thanks to their effort to locate the ropes.

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Small contributions have a major impact in matches with low scores. And few things affected this game more profoundly than Fahima’s cameos in all three areas.

Her two fours, each lifted over a short fine, made sure Bangladesh found the 16 runs that would ultimately separate the two teams. Her first delivery of legspin gave Saskia Horley additional bounce and an edge, but Sultana grassed her behind the stumps. She then slowed it down outside off to get Horley out of her crease, allowing her captain to make up for it two balls later.

Her greatest moment, though, was probably in the fifteenth over. Darcy Carter made arguably the cleanest hit of the match, crushing Moni for what appeared to be the first six of the ball’s trajectory, with 50 needed from 35 deliveries. If that had happened, the last few moments would have looked different, maybe even like the start of Scotland’s greatest ever win.

By chasing the ball to the fence, tracing it over her shoulder, and making a tumbling catch just a whisker away from the sponge, Fahima put an end to that story. The 31-year-old stood out as the exception in a duel with seven drops.

Many teams’ plans have been thrown into disarray by the abrupt move of the competition from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates. Since they have never participated in an international match, even the market leaders in women’s cricket, Australia, England, and India, are adjusting as they go.

Anywhere and everywhere will provide lessons, and Scotland’s Sarah Bryce might be the first to offer some. The keeper-batter, who had spent the last 20 overs in the hottest part of the day squatting behind the wickets, made a courageous performance that left her clearly exhausted.

Her ability to run twos and even four in the last five deliveries of the innings at the finish was testament to her bloodthirstiness and physical fitness. The idea that she ought to have been dismissed three times seemed cruel; at the very least, it would have given her a well-earned break while the pursuit circled about her.

Being a prominent player, it brought attention to the fact that teams under these circumstances need to safeguard their resources. In order to better maintain her energy and skills, it could be necessary to move her down the order for the two of Scotland’s three remaining matches that fall during the same time window.

The fact that Kathryn Bryce took the first wicket for Scotland in a T20 World Cup was more happenstance than design. It should have belonged to Olivia Bell, the offspinner who did not play in the qualifications but was destined to make history when Murshida Khatun’s covered flick sailed to midwicket. Out of the three dropped in the first innings, Rachel Slater’s was possibly the worst.

The next over saw Murshida trapped halfway down the pitch when Katherine Fraser caught a high ball that was traveling to her right from mid-on. And with that, there was more space on the second page of Kathryn’s CV, the lucky skipper of Scotland.

She received numerous honors on Tuesday at the PCA do in recognition of her efforts during the English season. Being the first cricket player from outside of England to win women’s Player of the Year was one of her four accolades.

The fact that Kathryn made her T20I debut in 2018 and was selected the ICC’s associate women’s player of the decade for 2011 to 2020 says it everything about her stature, which has now been bolstered.