Lanning steers Australia past Bangladesh to the top of Group 1

Captain Meg Lanning top-scored with 48* in a successful but stuttering chase from the defending champions, as they reached their target of 108 with eight wickets and 10 balls to spare.

MATCH CENTRE AND SCORECARD

There was an early scare in the chase for Lanning’s side, as young starlet Marufa Akter struck in the Powerplay to remove Beth Mooney (2).

But Australia’s powerful top order racked up the runs in the first six overs to put them in control of the chase.

Another Bangladeshi youngster, Shorna Akter, dismissed Alyssa Healy with the score at 78/2, as Australia’s rate of scoring slowed markedly through the middle overs.

Lanning (48* from 49) and Ash Gardner (19* from 20) eased to the target, with Marufa finishing with figures of 1/19 from her four overs.

Earlier, a brilliant knock from Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty lifted her side to 107/7 in the first innings against Australia.

Bangladesh lost both of their openers cheaply after Joty had won the toss and opted to bat first.

A sharp catch from Beth Mooney removed Shamima Sultana (1) in the second over. And Darcie Brown picked up her second Powerplay wicket when she cleaned up Murshida Khatun for seven.

But some big hits from Joty helped Bangladesh to 34/2 at the end of the Powerplay, and the skipper continued the momentum after the departure of Sobhana Mostary (7).

Wickets continued to fall around her, but runs flowed from the 25-year-old’s bat, and she became the first Bangladesh Woman ever to score a fifty at a T20 World Cup.

Joty did eventually depart for 57 from 50 balls, looking to accelerate at the death and skying a catch off Ash Gardner into the hands of Meg Lanning. And the Tigresses’ tail lifted the total to 107/7 after 20 overs.

Georgia Wareham was the pick of the bowlers with 3/20, while Darcie Brown finished with 2/23.

Two wins from two and an impressive net run rate has given Australia a terrific start to the group campaign.

Beating New Zealand in such emphatic fashion meant that Meg Lanning’s side positioned themselves as favourites to win the group right from the off, and it would be a huge surprise if the defending champions and world’s top-ranked team failed to qualify for the semi-finals from this position.

A crunch match against Sri Lanka on Thursday back at this same ground in Gqeberha will go a long way to settling the outcome of the group, with the Lankans also on two wins from their first two games.

A target of 108 was never likely to be enough to really test Australia’s powerful and deep batting line-up, but Bangladesh opening bowler Marufa Akter gave it her best shot.

The youngster was one of the stars of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup last month, with her pace and movement in the Powerplay proving a big threat for the Bangladesh U19s.

And on the evidence of her two performances so far, Marufa’s impact is translating to the senior level.

She was electric first up for the Tigresses, bagging the scalp of the legendary Beth Mooney and going close to picking up more in a superb spell.

The 18-year-old has a long and bright future in the Bangladesh team ahead of her.

Meg Lanning cruised to the total with the sort of class you’d expect from one of the best batters in the game. But Lanning’s opposing skipper arguably produced the innings of the match.

Joty’s half-century held her team’s innings together, with the next highest score being just 12 (off 27 balls) from young Shorna Akter.

The Bangladesh captain made World Cup history with knock, and has also now scored more half-centuries in T20 internationals for her country than any other woman – moving ahead of Fargana Hoque’s four fifties.