Bangladesh Women secured their place in the semi-final of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup after beating United Arab Emirates by 34 runs in Dubai on Tuesday.
Sharmin Akhter’s fighting innings lifted Bangladesh to a competitive total, and Marufa Akter’s new-ball spell set the tone for a bowling performance that never let UAE settle. Bangladesh will now face India in the first semi-final on Thursday.
Marufa Akter Sets The Tone With The New Ball
Marufa struck early and often, removing UAE captain Esha Oza inside the first over with an inswinger that trapped her for just two runs. She followed that breakthrough by dismissing Samaira Dharnidharka with a cross-seam delivery that found the outside edge, and UAE slipped to 15 for 2 inside the powerplay.
Marufa returned in the ninth over and finished with figures of 2 for 9 from her four overs, giving Bangladesh control of the chase from the start. Sultana Khatun backed her up at the other end, and conceded just 10 runs from four overs of off-spin and squeezed UAE’s scoring options through the middle overs. UAE reached only 34 for 3 after ten overs, a rate that left them chasing an increasingly difficult equation.
Nahida Akter then struck twice in the same phase to remove Lavanya Keny and Janani Thirukkumaran, while Rabeya Khan claimed three wickets in her four overs to complete the collapse. UAE managed just 69 for 9 from their 20 overs, with 70 dot balls underlining how little room Bangladesh’s bowlers gave them.
Sharmin Akhter Rebuilds After Early Collapse
Bangladesh’s innings started shakily after UAE won the toss and chose to field first. Suraksha Kotte, bowling off-spin with flight and width, dismissed Dilara Akter and Sobhana Mostary inside the powerplay, and Bangladesh slipped to 55 for 6 after Nigar Sultana fell to a return catch in the 11th over.
Sharmin Akhter, playing her first match of the tournament after replacing Ritu Moni in the XI, steadied the innings with an unbeaten run that turned into a match-defining knock. She took 13 balls to reach 13 runs before accelerating, and drove Indhuja Nandakumar through the covers to shift the tempo, and following it with consecutive boundaries off Oza.
Her stand of 42 runs with Nahida Akter for the seventh wicket pushed Bangladesh from a precarious position to a defendable 103 for 7. Sharmin finished with 38 off 31 balls and was named Cricinfo’s MVP of the match for her contribution.
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Kotte’s Three-Wicket Effort Falls Short
Kotte remained UAE’s standout bowler despite the loss, finishing with 3 for 11 from her four overs and conceding only seven runs across her three powerplay overs. Sixteen of her 24 deliveries went for no runs, and her dismissal of Sultana in the 11th over briefly threatened to derail Bangladesh’s recovery.
However, the depth of Bangladesh’s middle and lower order, combined with a disciplined bowling unit in the second innings, proved too much for UAE to overturn. Nahida Akter, who scored 16 not out and took 2 for 18 with the ball, was named Player of the Match for her all-round contribution.
Bangladesh’s win keeps their unbeaten run in the tournament intact as they turn their attention to a semi-final meeting with India.
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