When Bangladesh seamer Marufa Akter removed Omaima Sohail and Pakistan’s most experienced batter Sidra Amin off successive balls in the second over at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, little did anyone realise it would set the tone for the rest of the day. The decision to bat first at the toss may have been a sound one, but that was the only thing Pakistan got right in the first innings, folding up for a paltry 129 in 38.3 overs, and Bangladesh overhauled it 31.1 overs.
In a short span of time, the 20-year-old Maria has risen through the ranks to become her side’s key fast bowling weapon. Two years ago, she first came into the international limelight when she emerged as her country’s leading wicket-taker in the Under-19 T20 World Cup in South Africa. On Thursday, she showed on her ODI World Cup debut why she’s one of the young players to watch out for, removing the Pakistani duo with two cracking inswinging deliveries.
If Pakistan thought they had the chance to rebuild their innings after the early dents, they were sadly mistaken. Marufa’s strikes were followed by Nahida Akter, who, with her left-arm spin, accounted for Muneeba Ali and Rameen Shanim. The dismissals left Pakistan in dire straits at 47/4 inside the opening 15 overs.
While Nahida’s left-arm spin is as conventional as they come, her celebrations could become the other reason to watch her bowl as the tournament moves forward. After claiming Muneeba’s scalp, the spinner went on to do a two-sided dab to get off the mark in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup.
Sidra Amin falling for nought meant the onus was on the middle-order duo of Aliya Riyaz and Sidra Nawaz to stem the collapse. While the surface offered hope for the rebuild, the Bangladesh bowlers did not take their foot off the pedal. Consistency was the word of the day as the Pakistani batters found no momentum in their innings.
Shorna Akter shows what India might be missing
If Pakistan thought the two Akters had done all the damage, they were to be dismantled by a third and arguably, the most impressive of them all. Shorna Akter emerged as the most profitable bowler on the day, taking 3/5 in 3.3 overs of leg spin to ensure there was no meaty lower-order resistance, which may have taken Pakistan to a fighting total.
Her performance may have also made another team contemplate its squad selection. India might have a spin-heavy bowling attack in their ranks, but it is a repertoire without a leg spinner in it. Priya Mishra and Prema Rawat went only as far as featuring in the reserves, and it remains to be seen, after Akter’s exploits on Thursday, if they come back to rue the decision of not picking a leggie against Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday and the rest of the tournament.
One of Akter’s three scalps was also a hit-wicket. Off the first ball of the 35th over, Nashra Sandhu found herself in two minds, whether to leave or play at a delivery. Eventually, she was caught in a betwixt and between type of situation. However, her batswing became her undoing, and as she raised her bat one too many times, the willow flicked the stumps enough for the bails to fall from their groove.
It summed up Pakistan’s miserable day aptly. No batter tried anything out of the ordinary to disrupt the length. The Bangladesh bowlers were allowed to go about their plan without any major changes to it.
Rubya Haider impresses on ODI debut
Bangladesh sensed an opportunity to win, and they opted for the slow and steady approach to reach the target. The first 10 overs yielded a mere 23 runs for the loss of one wicket with two fours. It gave Pakistan a sniff, but not more than that. The impetus to the innings was given by Rubya Haider, who, playing on her ODI debut, showed the requisite application before breaking the shackles with 19 runs off Sandhu in the 19th over.
That over pegged Pakistan back significantly, and there was no way back for them, even as Bangladesh took their time to reach the target. Haider and captain Nigar Sultana put on 67 invaluable runs for the third wicket, and while the latter fell for 23, the former carried on to register a half-century in her maiden ODI innings.
It was just the type of innings Bangladesh needed for a chase of this kind. Haider was effective without always being dominant, but she never allowed panic to set in the team’s camp. The seven-wicket defeat meant that Pakistan began their ODI World Cup campaign on the backfoot. That means now that the stakes have only gotten bigger, when they face India at the same venue on Sunday.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 129 in 38.3 overs (Rameen Shamim 23, Fatima Sana 22; Shorna Akter 3/5, Nahida Akter 2/19) lost to Bangladesh 131/3 in 31.1 overs (Rubya Haider 54 not out, Sobhana Mostary 24 not out, Nigar Sultana 23) by seven wickets.
If Pakistan thought the two Akters had done all the damage, they were to be dismantled by a third and arguably, the most impressive of them all. (AP Photo) 
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