Edwards sets up comfortable England win

BANGALORE: Charlotte Edwards’ first T20I fifty in 18 months set up England’s 36-run win over Bangladesh here on Thursday. She struck 60 off 51 balls with seven fours before the England bowlers restricted Bangladesh to 117 for 6, which is now their highest score in T20 internationals.

Bangladesh lost four early wickets but Salma Khatun and Nigar Sultana added 64 runs, a team record for the fifth wicket. The pair struck boundaries quite regularly, unlike their top and middle-order. Nigar, who had her nickname “Joty” on her jersey, top-scored with 35 off 28 balls.

She struck the only six of the innings, a straight hit off Anya Shrubsole in the penultimate over, as well as placing boundaries through square leg, past point and a hoick through the leg side that brought up only Bangladesh’s fifth 50-plus stand in T20s. Nigar became Shrubsole’s second wicket soon after hitting the six, stumped by Sarah Taylor.

Salma, who was unbeaten on 32 off 30 balls, started off with an intentional poke past the wicketkeeper before swatting fours over midwicket twice and hammering past mid-off. Shrubsole took two wickets while Jenny Gunn, Katherine Brunt and Danielle Hazell took one each.

Having opted to bat first, England were off to a fast start before Tammy Beaumont fell for 18 to Jahanara Alam, who knocked back her leg stump in the fifth over. Taylor and Heather Knight fell in the space of three balls in the 10th and 11th overs to give England a bit of wobble but Edwards held firm.

Her seven fours came through cuts, drives through the covers and down the ground, leg-glances and pulls. Salma, off her own bowling, dropped Edwards on 53 and later on 57 though this was a tough chance at cover. Edwards added 47 runs for the fourth wicket with Nat Sciver, who made 27 off 22 balls.

Sciver was also dropped at midwicket before she was finally caught in the same over. Danielle Wyatt and Brunt made 15 and 17 respectively in the last two overs as England finished on 153 for 7. Jahanara finished with three wickets, two coming off the last two balls of the innings.

Score Board

England Women won toss

England Women

*C M Edwards st Nigar b Rumana   60

T T Beaumont b Jahanara 18

†S J Taylor st Nigar b Fahima         9

H C Knight c & b Khadija      1

N R Sciver c Nahida b Salma          27

D N Wyatt c Lata b Jahanara          15

K H Brunt c Nahida b Jahanara       17

L S Greenway not out         0

Extras (b 1, w 5)      6

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs)  153

Did not bat: J L Gunn, A Shrubsole, D Hazell

Fall: 1-34, 2-70, 3-71, 4-118, 5-127, 6-153, 7-153

Bowling: Jahanara 4-0-32-3 (3w); Salma 4-0-28-1 (1w); Nahida 1-0-12-0; Lata 1-0-9-0; Fahima 4-0-33-1 (1w); Khadija 3-0-15-1; Rumana 3-0-23-1

Bangladesh Women

Sharmin Akhter b Brunt       0

Ayasha Rahman c Edwards b Shrubsole     2

Fargana Hoque c Sciver b Hazell     19

Rumana Ahmed run out       19

†Nigar Sultana st Taylor b Shrubsole         35

Salma Khatun not out          32

*Jahanara Alam c Greenway b Gunn         2

Extras (b 3, lb 4, w 1)         8

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs)  117

Did not bat: Lata Mondal, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Khadija Tul Kubra

Fall: 1-0, 2-14, 3-38, 4-46, 5-110, 6-117

Bowling: Brunt 4-1-17-1; Shrubsole 4-0-27-2 (1w); Sciver 3-0-22-0; Gunn 3-0-15-1; Hazell 4-0-20-1; Knight 2-0-9-0

Result: England Women won by 36 runs

Player of the match: C M Edwards (England Women)

Umpires: S D Fry (Australia) and R E J Martinesz (Sri Lanka). TV umpire: J D Cloete (South Africa). Match referee: J J Crowe (New Zealand)