Bangladesh 100 for 3 (Murshida 50) beat Thailand 96 for 9 (Boochatham 40, Rabeya 4-114, Moni 2-10, Jesmin 2-28) by seven wickets
Sri Lanka lead Group B with four points after two matches and are assured of a semi-final spot because of a higher net run rate following a massive win over Malaysia earlier in the day. Bangladesh and Thailand have two points each, and their last group games on Wednesday will decide which team from this group will advance to knockouts.
Rabeya, Moni strangle Thailand
Rabeya started her first over with a double-strike to remove Suwanchonrathi and Koncharoenkai, for a duck. Bangladesh understood early in the game that Thailand found it difficult to score against full-length deliveries and tossed up the balls. The batters were deceived by the turn, drift and bounce that the spinners got on the surface.
At the midway stage, Nigar Sultana threw the ball to right-arm seamer Moni, and she struck immediately. She hit the hard length and got the ball swung back in to remove Phannita Maya to leave Thailand 38 for 3. In her next over, Moni went for a pace-off delivery to bowl Chanida Sutthiruang out for a 10-ball 8.
Rabeya came back after the 13th over and picked up a wicket each in her third and fourth over. The legspinner went fuller again, and Suwanan Khiaoto couldn’t read her wrong’un and was eventually bowled out. Bangladesh did not let Boochatham take off at the death as Rabeya cleaned her up for a 41-ball 40, in the 17th over, with a full-length ball to clean her up.
Debutant left-arm spinner Sabikun Nahar Jesmin, after conceding 23 runs in her first three overs, scalped two off two deliveries in her final over to sink Thailand further.
Suwanchonrathi, from No.11 to No.2
Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, Thailand’s No.11 player, was promoted to open with seasoned opener Boochatham. It was after their wicketkeeper Nannapat Koncharoenkai top-scored for the team with 40 against Malaysia. But the move backfired as Suwanchonrathi struggled to get going. She took 12 deliveries to get off the mark and eventually fell for a 20-ball 6 in the seventh over. Thailand could only post 25 for 0 in the powerplay.
Murshida among the runs
Even on Monday, Bangladesh made three changes to the XI that featured in the first game. One of them was Murshida and she made it count. She took ten deliveries to get off the mark but once she got in, Murshida got the scorecard ticking in a small chase. There was a mix-up between her and Dilhara Akter in the fifth over and the latter eventually was run out but after that, Murshida settled down. She hit eight fours in her 55-ball stay and collected her fourth half-century in T20Is. Along with Ishma, she stitched a 60-run stand for the second wicket to blunt Thailand’s attack.
Bangladesh lost two wickets late in the game, but for a change, they didn’t need Sultana to rescue them.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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