Bangladesh showed spark in parts but it was the return of legspinner Georgia Wareham that stole the headlines as Australia continued their winning run at the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Wareham picked up three wickets – including two in her last over – to restrict Bangladesh to 107 despite a feisty half-century from their captain Nigar Sultana. With a batting line-up as enviable as Australia’s, it was a walk in the park as Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning made light work of the chase to notch up a win in the first-ever women’s international at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha.

Healy, Lanning douse Marufa fire

Young Marufa Akter starred in Bangladesh’s Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign and continued her good run. She began the 107-run defence with a fiery opening spell, bowling five dots on the trot to Healy, who was seemingly troubled by her seam movement. However, Marufa strayed on her pads on the last ball to get her going.

However, the 18-year-old fast bowler from Saidpur, a small town to the North of Dhaka, struck in her next over. She lured Beth Mooney into an uncertain poke at an away-swinger to give slip a low catch. She believed. Bangladesh believed. But Healy and Lanning did, too.

Nigar introduced spin after Marufa’s second over and it was all downhill thereon for Bangladesh. Healy welcomed the left-arm spin of Nahida Akter with a huge hit back over her head before Lanning played a square drive for four. In the penultimate over of the powerplay, Healy hit Salma Khatun for back-to-back fours and Lanning then hit Nahida for another in the next over. By the time the powerplay came to a close, Australia had raced to 45 for 1.

Coming in for Jahanara Alam in the XI, legspinner Fahima Khatun’s first over saw Marufa fail to hang on to a tough catch running to her left from long-off. Boundaries then dried up as Australia managed just one four between overs eight and twelve. In a bid to hit another, Healy mishit one to short cover to give leggie Shorna Akter her maiden international wicket.

Australia slowed down in the middle overs and it was not until the 19th over that they crossed the line. Lanning finished unbeaten on 48 off 49 balls with Ashleigh Gardner ending 19 not out.

A welcome return for Wareham

Seeing a track aiding spin in Gqeberha, Australia opted to add another wristspinner in Wareham instead of left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen. She had last played an international game in October 2021. And perhaps the nerves were on show as her first delivery was a full-toss duly dispatched to the ropes by Shobana Mostary. But, call it a legspinner’s trait or luck, an innocuous delivery fetched her her first wicket of the night.

Mostary looked to turn a shortish ball to the on side, only to hit it via the leading edge to midwicket. Wareham was on the board. She then found her flight and also the lengths, almost trapping Shorna lbw in the same over. She stifled a set Nigar and Shorna as Australia successfully applied the squeeze in the middle overs. She conceded only one four in her first three overs – when Nigar successfully sliced one between backward point and short third.

Frustration got the better of Shorna in Wareham’s last over. She tried to give her the charge, only to be deceived by the flight and dip to be bowled through the gate. Three balls later, Wareham made the experienced Rumana Ahmed look pedestrian after she missed her sweep and was bowled. Wareham signed off with a sharp ripper – turning away and just missing the outside edge of Ritu Moni’s bat and the off pole by a hair’s breadth – to signal a successful return to the big stage a day after she was picked up by Gujarat Giants at the Women’s Premier League auction.

After Bangladesh opted to bat, their captain Nigar found herself in the middle in as early as the fourth over. Speedster Darcie Brown had managed to send back both the openers with only 11 on the board. Unfazed, Nigar drove Brown for successive fours to get off the blocks quickly.

In what could be a strong contender for one of the shots of the tournament, Nigar shimmied down and had a free swing of her arms to deposit legspinner Alana King over the long-on ropes. This was a delivery after she cut the same bowler through cover-point using the depth of the crease. While runs were not easy to come by – something she confirmed during the mid-innings chat with the on-air broadcasters – she hardly stalled. She almost seemed to have extra time to play her strokes, be it the drive or the pulls and the cuts.

Nigar became the first woman from Bangladesh to score a half-century in T20 World Cups when she pushed Gardner towards cover off her 41st ball. She fell a couple of overs later for 56 off 46, having helped Bangladesh cross 100 but it was not a total that would have challenged the mighty Australians.