We have been waiting for this for a long time. This means a lot for us and everyone in the team. It was a kind of wicket where you need time to settle, Shathi and Mostary managed to do that. The conditions were pretty hot and we ran a lot of twos. Hopefully the wicket remains like this and our spinners will come into play. We are trying to do something different (with our batting order), Taj came up and tried to hit some boundaries, but unfortunately she got out. We have the momentum, seeing the girls happy and smiling is the biggest inspiration for me.

It is always going to be tough.. playing our first game in the T20 World Cup. Hopefully, it will get better in the next couple of weeks. It was great to get out there and get some game time. We were sloppy in the field and in a tight game like this those are things that can cost you. Saskia was ready for that and was calm under pressure (bowling at the end).

It was a slow wicket and I tried to vary my pace. We have worked hard in the last one year and we have been waiting for this game, it is a very happy moment for me and my teammates. We assessed the conditions and just stuck to our bowling strengths.

Sarah Bryce remained unbeaten on 49 runs but Bangladesh women managed to get a 16-run win in the tournament opener. It was Bangladesh women’s first victory in any T20I world Cup match in the last 10 years. Scotland women were handed a defeat in their first T20I World Cup match.

Bangladesh women beat Scotland women by 16 runs as Sarah Bryce failed to make 26 runs in the final over. She was dropped many times during her 49-run unbeaten inning. Nahida Akter also completed her 100th T20I wicket.

Scotland women need 26 runs in the last over and Sarah Bryce will not face the first delivery of the last over. Can they do the impossible? Let’s find out.

Lorna Jack is the sixth wicket of Scotland women and they are still 31 runs behind. Just two overs are left in the game and Sarah Bryce is still there at the crease.

Ritu Moni came to bowl her third over and dismissed Darcey Carter on the second delivery thanks to a brilliant catch by Fahima Khatun. Lorna Jack joined Bryce at the crease.

Priyanaz Chatterji got involved in a terrible run-out and Scotland women lost their fourth wicket. They are still 52 runs behind the target with 42 balls still in hand. Set batter Sarah Bryce is still present on the crease.

Vice-captain of Scotland side Sarah Bryce and Ailsa Lister were looking good but Ritu Moni broke the partnership. Priyanaz Chatterji is the new batter. Scotland women still need 71 runs off 10 overs to win this match.

Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce was bowled by Marufa Akter on the last delivery of her second over. Ailsa Lister is the new batter at the crease.

Saskia Horley tried to leave her crease while playing a shot off Fahima Khatun and she was stumped in the third over. Kathryn Bryce joined her sister at the crease.

Scotland women started the chase with openers Sarah Bryce and Saskia Horley. Marufa Akter leaked six runs including a boundary and two wides in the over.

Brief Score: BAN-W – 119/7 (20)

Sobhana Mostary – 36 (38), Shathi Rani – 29 (32) | Saskia Horley – (2-0-13-3)

Saskia Horley came to bowl the last over of the inning and dismissed the Bangla captain Nigar Sultana Joty on the fifth delivery. She conceded seven runs and Bangladesh innings ended on 119/7 after 20 overs. Now, Scotland women need 120 runs to win the match.

Saskia Horley was introduced into the attack in the 18th over and she got rid of Shorna Akter on the first delivery. She helped Sarah Bryce in Ritu Moni’s stumping to get her second wicket in the over on the last delivery of the over.

Abtaha Maqsood was called to bowl her last over of the spell and she leaked nine runs including a boundary and two doubles. Mostary was stumped on the next over’s first delivery. She went back after making crucial 36 runs off just 38 balls.

Katherine Fraser came to bowl her third over of the match in the 12th over and Shathi Rani welcomed her with a boundary. She dismissed her on the fourth delivery of the over to send her back to the pavilion. Taj Nehar is the new atter at the crease.

After the early dismissal of Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary started her inning well and managed to generate a partnership with Shathi Rani. The duo is looking good and taking Bangladesh women’s innings forward.

Kathryn Bryce came to bowl her second over in the fifth over and got rid of Murshida Khatun on the third delivery. Sobhana Mostary is the new batter at the crease.

Rachel Slater opened the bowling attack of Scotland in front of Bangladesh openers, Murshida Khatun and Shathi Rani. Rani hit a boundary and extracted five runs from the first over. Bangladesh women will try to make full use of the powerplay.

The first match of the tournament is a day match and it is very hot and humid in Sharjah. The temperature is 38 degrees Celsius and the strip looks good to bat on. The boundary dimensions are 59m and 62m respectively. It is 73 metres down the ground. There is a little grass on the surface which will help the seamers.

Nigar Sultana Joty: We want to bat first. Seeing the conditions, think it will be good for batting. Should come on to the bat nicely. We’ve been preparing ourselves very well. The win against Pakistan in the warm-up games was very nice for us. Cricket is growing nicely in Bangladesh. We’re here to show that.

Kathryn Bryce: We’d have had a bat first as well but excited to go out there and chase. Pretty good conditions out here, heat is probably the main thing. It’s been absolutely fantastic, been hectic with all the media. Everyone’s really excited and prepared to go.

Bangladesh women won the toss and opted to bat first

Scotland Women: Saskia Horley, Sarah Bryce(w), Kathryn Bryce(c), Ailsa Lister, Priyanaz Chatterji, Darcey Carter, Lorna Jack, Katherine Fraser, Rachel Slater, Abtaha Maqsood, Olivia Bell

Bangladesh Women: Murshida Khatun, Shathi Rani, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Taj Nehar, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter

“I think India needs to be very careful when playing against Australia. Looking at this group, India has Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. But one match that I think will be a little tough is the India-Australia match,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

“Australia is a good team, even though these matches are being played in Dubai, on subcontinent pitches that might not suit them as much as their home conditions. But Australia, no matter where they play, are hard to beat. So, the biggest challenge for India may be Australia,” he said.

Scotland Women: Saskia Horley, Sarah Bryce(w), Kathryn Bryce(c), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Lorna Jack, Katherine Fraser, Rachel Slater, Chloe Abel, Hannah Rainey, Abtaha Maqsood, Ailsa Lister, Abbi Aitken Drummond, Megan McColl, Olivia Bell

Bangladesh Women: Shathi Rani, Dilara Akter, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Taj Nehar, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Marufa Akter, Nahida Akter, Jahanara Alam, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Murshida Khatun, Disha Biswas

These two sides have met five times and Bangladesh leads the head-to-head stats by winning all of the five games played between the two over the years. This will be their sixth meeting.

Bangladesh were originally set to host the international tournament, before it was moved to the UAE on security grounds. BAN-W skipper Nigar Sultana sounded bullish ahead of her side’s opening fixture against SCO-W.

“Bangladesh is a crazy nation when it comes to cricket, with the emotion of the sport acting as an incredible tool for unity. If we perform well here, it will definitely have a positive impact on the Bangladeshi people,” she was quoted on ICC. (Streaming)