Bangladesh Women’s ODI debut in Australia ended in a seven-wicket defeat in the opening game of the three-match series. Under lights, Australia made short work of a 167-run chase, led by Phoebe Litchfield’s 77 off 57 balls. Annabel Sutherland starred with the ball, finishing with 4 for 30, and added an unbeaten 25 in the chase.
First innings: Bangladesh Women 166 in 49.4 overs
Australia Women opted to bowl first and struck at once. Megan Schutt swung one sharply into Fargana Hogue, who edged to the slips. Her next over brought a second wicket, as Sarmin Sultana was trapped in front. Schutt’s opening spell of five overs included two maidens and cost only six runs.
Sharmin Akhter kept one end going until Sutherland removed her in her first over, helped by a brilliant catch from Alana King at short square leg. Bangladesh then went into a shell.
Shorna Akhter dug in alongside Nigar Sultana, but the stand was slow. Between overs 15 and 30, Bangladesh added only 40 runs. They lost just one wicket in that period, yet the run rate dropped considerably. After a long vigil, Nigar was drawn into a tame drive and fell to Tahlia McGrath. Not long after, Georgia Wareham ended Shorna’s toilsome knock by targeting the stumps well, even though she extracted less turn than King.
Ritu Moni gave the innings some late push, but she soon ran out of partners. Bangladesh were 130 for 7 after 40 overs and could not find a big over, relying on the odd boundary. They finished on 166, and Sutherland ended with her four-fer.
Second innings: Australia Women 168 for 3 in 25.4 overs
With no real scoreboard pressure, Australia’s openers took off quickly. Litchfield used the gaps on the off side and her feet to counter early shape. Seventeen-year-old debutant Habiba Islam broke the flow by trapping Georgia Voll off a bouncer, but it did not slow Litchfield. In the next over she drilled a hat-trick of fours off Marufa, and when Habiba dropped one short, she put it over deep midwicket.
Australia Women had cruised to 74 for 1 at the 10-over mark. On the next ball, Rabeya Khan walked off with a physio after seemingly jamming her shoulder.
Ellyse Perry, now in her 20th year of international cricket, was happy to nudge the ball around while Litchfield did the bulk of the scoring, bringing out the sweeps against the turn. Rabeya returned to dismiss Litchfield, but by then Australia were well on course. Bangladesh had one last moment of consolation when Hogue took a fine diving catch to send back Beth Mooney, giving Habiba a second moment to savour on debut. Perry, with Sutherland for company, polished off the remaining runs with ease.
Key performances
Australia
- Phoebe Litchfield: 77 off 57 balls
- Annabel Sutherland: 4 for 30 with the ball and 25 not out with the bat
- Megan Schutt: 2 for 19, including a five-over opening spell with two maidens
- Ellyse Perry: 26 not out
Bangladesh
- Ritu Moni: 45, the top score of the innings
- Nigar Sultana: 29 in a long stay at the crease
- Habiba Islam: 2 for 36 on debut
- Rabeya Khan: 1 for 32, despite the shoulder scare
Match reflections
Bangladesh’s innings was undone by the early losses and the long middle-overs lull, where only 40 runs came in 15 overs. Australia’s bowlers kept the pressure on throughout, and the chase never became a contest. For Bangladesh, the debut of Habiba Islam, with two wickets at 17, was a bright spot in an otherwise one-sided evening.
Brief scores: Bangladesh Women 166 in 49.4 overs (Ritu Moni 45, Nigar Sultana 29; Annabel Sutherland 4-30, Megan Schutt 2-19) lost to Australia Women 168/3 in 25.4 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 77, Ellyse Perry 26*; Habiba Islam 2-36, Rabeya Khan 1-32) by seven wickets.
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