Reigning champions Australia took a step closer to the semi-finals of the Women’s U20 World Cup with a win over Bangladesh.
Chasing 108 at Gqeberha, they won with 10 balls to spare, captain Meg Lanning scoring an unbeaten 48 after debutant Alyssa Healy made 37.
Bangladesh scored 107-7 with Nigar Sultana Jyoti making 57 while returning Georgia Wareham took 3-20.
Australia topped Group 1, while Bangladesh are fourth after two defeats.
Lanning’s side were strong in the field and were able to restrict Bangladesh after bowler Darcy Brown caught opener Shamim Sultan and then bowled Murshida Khatoon through the wicket.
Jyoti, along with Sobhana Mostari, built a 31-run stand before Wareham, who was returning to international cricket after a 16-month knee injury, was caught at mid-wicket.
Shorna Akter then made a diligent 12 off 27 balls to slow any momentum in the Bangladesh innings, despite Jyoti hitting more than the run ball at the other end.
Shorne’s 12 was the second-highest total in an innings and it left Bangladesh well short of a match-winning total against a fearsome Australian batting line-up.
Teenager Marufa Akter did have Beth Mooney at slip in the third over before Lanning pulled her fourth ball just short of slip.
From there, Lanning and Healy took control of the chase, putting on 69 for the second wicket before Healy was caught at covers off Shorna.
It was a tough chase from Australia, who scored largely in singles, hitting just four boundaries in the last 11.3 overs of the chase.
But they comfortably crossed the line with Lanning and Ash Gardner selling for a joint-record £320,000 for a foreign player at Monday’s Women’s Premier League auction , sharing a run of 33.
Australia play Sri Lanka in their next game on Thursday, while Bangladesh play New Zealand on Friday.
“Encouraging game for England” – the reaction
Australian national team captain Meg Lanning: “It was great to see Georgia back after a long layoff due to a serious injury. I was delighted with her return, she changed the rules of the game.
“It’s good to know that the next two games we’re playing in the same conditions and it was difficult at times tonight. We know we can get better.”
Bangladesh national team captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti: “Marufa Akter is improving, she doesn’t look like she’s 18. She’s so mature and is playing really well against some world class batsmen.
“We are looking to play good cricket for the rest of the tournament but we need to improve our batting. We didn’t get as many boundaries as we wanted in the last five overs today.”
England all-rounder Georgia Elwess in a special broadcast of the BBC Test Match: “As an England fan, I am encouraged by this performance by Australia. I’m so used to watching them dominate from the first ball, and I haven’t seen them beat the clock like that in a long time.”
