On-song Tigresses trump India

"Oh, they are not capable of hitting fours and sixes; they lack the ability to play international cricket." After repeated batting failures, such was the prevailing sentiment not just among ordinary fans but also of someone who was involved in Bangladesh women's cricket after one failure after another in the international cricket.

Two local coaches -- Imtiaz Hossain and Mohammad Muslemuddin -- working closely with female cricketers at the grassroots level had however painted a brighter picture in terms of ability while talking to The Daily Star last month. Instead, they blamed the lack of long-term planning and proper policies behind the slow progress of female cricketers in the country.

The Bangladesh women's cricket team proved their local gurus' observations right by the manner in which they achieved a splendid seven-wicket victory against their mighty Indian counterparts yesterday, just two days after beating Pakistan in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup in Malaysia. 

It was their first victory over a team that had finished champions in all the previous editions of the tournament and finished runners-up in last year's ODI World Cup. On way to achieving this rare feat, the Tigresses also aced their highest chase of 142. Those were the glittering facts that will remain in the afterglow of what will surely go down as a landmark win, but the most important element of the win was how they showcased their true ability in besting two regional giants back to back.

Rumana Ahmed was the star all-round performer as she followed figures of three for 21 with an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls to make sure India lost their first match in the history of the Asia Cup. Rumana's 93-run unbroken fourth-wicket stand with Fargana Hoque, who hit a 46-ball 52 with five fours and a six, and opener Shamima Sultana's 23-ball 33 – which contained seven fours -- helped Bangladesh reach the target with two balls to spare and enhanced their chances of play in the final on Sunday.

"You see, we have five-six world class players and they clicked together, making it possible to beat such a strong side. Our fielding was not up to the mark; otherwise it could have been even better. Understandably, there was huge excitement after the victory but like true professionals they are now looking forward to reaching the final by beating Thailand [on Thursday] and Malaysia [on June 9]," Nazmul Abedin Fahim, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB's) women's cricket wing development manager told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.

"I think the professional approach of the players is the reason behind the two magnificent wins. You know our coach Mohammad Salahuddin has a very good slogan, which is 'we either win or learn but not lose anything' and I think this mantra helped our players to learn many things from the forlorn South Africa trip," he added.

Fahim once again emphasised upon the importance of providing good facilities for the women cricketers. "If anyone talks about lack of ability, then they are only trying to make excuses for ignoring their duties. Our new coach [Anju Jain] even saw huge potential in our cricketers. But we have to give domestic cricket a good shape and must provide enough international-standard facilities because an amateur approach towards practice facilities will not serve the purpose of competing at international level when the other teams are improving fast," observed Fahim.

He also informed that the players were hungry for more success and they have the self-belief to achieve something big in the Asia Cup.

SCORES IN BRIEF

India: 141 for 7 in 20 overs (Vastrakar 20, Kaur 42, Sharma 32; Salma 1-21, Rumana 3-21)

Bangladesh: 142 for 3 in 19.4 overs (Shamima 33, Fargana 52 not out, Rumana 42 not out; Vastrakar 1-21, Poonam Yadav 1-21)

Result: Bangladesh women won by 7 wickets.

Player-of-the-match: Rumana Ahmed.