Bangladesh Beat Pakistan, Win First Medal In Asian Games

In the semifinals yesterday, the Bangladesh women's cricket team faced defeat against India. The dream of winning a gold medal for Bangladesh's women's cricket team was shattered there. Today, in the third-place decider match, Pakistan lost to Bangladesh. As a result, the Bangladesh women's cricket team secured the bronze medal. This is Bangladesh's first-ever medal in the Asian Games.

Pakistan had set a challenging target of 65 runs for Bangladesh on the Hangzhou Pingfeng Campus cricket field. Bangladesh made a brilliant start, not losing any wickets in the first 4.5 overs and scoring 27 runs. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty's team seemed to be on the right track. However, they soon lost their opening partnership when Shamima Sultana was out, trying to hit a pull shot.

After breaking the opening partnership, Bangladesh's run rate slowed down a bit. At the same time, they also started losing wickets. The other opener, Rani, captain Jyoti, and Sobhana Mostary all lost their wickets quickly. No wickets were lost until 27, but Jyoti's team reached 43 runs with the loss of four wickets in no time. Both openers scored in double digits. Shamima and her partner contributed 13 runs.

After losing four wickets quickly, Ritu Mani and Swarna Aktar cautiously batted for Bangladesh. Their 14-run partnership in 30-ball was crucial in controlling the match for Bangladesh. With 10 balls remaining,  the Bangladesh women's cricket team secured the bronze medal with a victory of 5 wickets.

With India, Bangladesh's captain Jyoti decided to bowl after winning the toss. This decision surprised everyone. But this time, the Tigeress team captain did not make the same mistake.

The decision was not a mistake; the bowlers also proved their point. Pakistan was at 36 runs with 5 wickets down.

Pakistan's Aliya Riaz scored 17 from 18 balls, and Nida Rashid contributed 14 from 18 balls to help Pakistan reach 50. The ninth-wicket partnership added 20 more runs. Pakistan's innings halted at 64 runs.

Bangladesh had previously won the toss and opted to bowl, which was a crucial decision. They bowled exceptionally well, consistently taking wickets. Restricting Pakistan to 64 runs in the designated 20 overs secured the bronze medal for Bangladesh. Aliya Riaz was Pakistan's top scorer with 17 runs. Swarna Aktar was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, taking 3 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs. Sanjida Aktar Meghla took 2 wickets for Bangladesh.