New Zealand, led by skipper Sophie Devine, found themselves in a tricky must-win position as a result of their first couple of defeats in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025, as they geared themselves up to face a high-flying Bangladesh, led by skipper Nigar Sultana Joty, at Guwahati.
New Zealand rested the youngster Bree Illing, and Rosemary Mair replaced her in the starting 11, as the veteran Lea Tahuhu marked her 100th ODI appearance for the White Ferns. Bangladesh made a couple of changes: Sumaiya Akter replaced Ritu Moni, and Sanjida Akter was replaced by Nishita Akter Nishi, as she made her way back into the side.
Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday assert their dominance yet again in challenging conditions
Skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and opted to bat first in humid conditions. The veteran batting all-rounder Suzie Bates, struggling to get her first runs in the tournament, after a couple of successive ducks, was on the verge of a 3rd in a row, as she was adjudged lbw on the 3rd ball of the game, bowled by Marufa Akter. Luckily for her, with the technological assistance, she eventually got the decision overturned on review. Suzie Bates eventually got off the mark in the tournament, with a big smile on her face in the 2nd over, bowled by Nahida Akter.
The duo stitched a 35-run opening stand before Rabeya Khan broke through and picked up the wicket of Georgia Plimmer in the 9th over of the innings. An unfortunate run-out ended Suzie Bates (29 off 33 balls) promising stay at the crease to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Bangladesh in the same over. The White Ferns were in further trouble with the early departure of Amelia Kerr to the young leg-spinner Rabeya Khan.
Brooke Halliday joined skipper Sophie Devine at the crease, and the duo yet again bailed their side out of trouble with a much-needed 112-run partnership for the 4th wicket, which also took them to the 150-run mark. Brooke Halliday, playing the aggressor role, finally registered her maiden half-century in the World Cup after missing out on a couple of occasions in the tournament.
Fahima Khatun broke the stand, by sending Brooke Halliday (69 off 104 balls) back to the pavilion in the 39th over as she found a top-edge on the slog-sweep, giving Bangladesh a much-needed 4th breakthrough. Maddy Green joined skipper Sophie Devine at the crease, and the White Ferns skipper was struggling with the extreme conditions and had to take some jellybeans to balance the sugar levels.
Nishita Akter Nishi got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Sophie Devine (63 off 85 balls), who registered her 3rd consecutive half-century in the tournament, her 18th in the format. Lower-order fireworks from Lea Tahuhu (12* off 4 balls), making her 100th ODI appearance, took the New Zealand total to 227/9 in their quota of 50 overs. Maddy Green (25 off 28 balls) and Isabella Gaze (12 off 13 balls) chipped in with crucial contributions with the bat for New Zealand.
Rabeya Khan (10-1-30-3), Nahida Akter (10-1-36-1), Nishita Akter Nishi (10-0-47-1), and Fahima Khatun (9-0-37-1) were outstanding with the ball for Bangladesh.
Lower order shows some resilience to delay the inevitable for Bangladesh
Chasing a total of 228, the Bangladeshi batters took a conservative approach and, as a result, kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and the scoring rate was stagnant for the Nigar Sultana Joty-led side. Bangladesh were reduced to 33/6 in the 14th over of the run chase. Nahida Akter (17 off 32 balls) joined Fahima Khatun at the crease, and the pair showed the determination and character to arrest the collapse and battle it out, taking the game deep with a much-needed 33-run partnership for the 7th wicket, which also took them past the 50-run mark.
The innings at one stage looked like a matter of time before getting rolled out to a heavy defeat. However, the remarkable defiance from the lower order, featuring the likes of Rabeya Khan (25 off 39 balls) alongside Fahima Khatun (34 off 80 balls) and an 8th wicket stand worth 44, showed the top-order how it is done when the going gets tough.
Bangladesh were eventually bundled out for 127, with more than 10 overs to spare, falling 100 runs short of the target. Lea Tahuhu (6-0-22-3) and Jess Kerr (8-1-21-3) picked up three wickets each. Rosemary Mair (6-0-20-2) and Amelia Kerr (10-1-23-1) were impressive with the ball for New Zealand.
Brooke Halliday (69 off 104 balls) was awarded the Player of the Match as she scored her maiden half-century in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. She played a crucial role alongside skipper Sophie Devine in helping White Ferns set up their first win of the competition.
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