Defending champions Australia thrash Bangladesh

Defending champions Australia took a step closer to the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Bangladesh made 107-7 with Nigar Sultana Joty scoring 57, while the returning Georgia Wareham claimed 3-20.

Australia go top of Group 1, while Bangladesh sit fourth after two losses.

Lanning’s side were solid in the field and were able to restrict Bangladesh after pace bowler Darcie Brown had opener Shamima Sultana caught, before bowling Murshida Khatun through the gate.

Joty built a 31-run stand with Sobhana Mostary, before Wareham, who was returning to international cricket after a 16-month knee injury, had the latter caught at mid-wicket.

Shorna Akter then made a painstaking 12 off 27 balls which slowed any momentum in the Bangladesh innings, despite Joty striking at more than a run-a-ball at the other end.

Shorna’s 12 was the second-highest score in the innings and that left Bangladesh well short of a match-winning total against Australia’s fearsome batting line-up.

Teenager Marufa Akter did have Beth Mooney caught at slip in the third over, before Lanning edged her fourth ball just short of slip.

From there Lanning and Healy grabbed control of the chase, putting on 69 for the second wicket, before Healy was caught in the covers off Shorna.

It was a stodgy chase from Australia, who largely scored in singles, only hitting four boundaries in the final 11.3 overs of the chase.

They comfortably got over the line though with Lanning and Ash Gardner, who sold for a joint-record of £320,000 for an overseas player in Monday’s Women’s Premier League auction, sharing an unbroken 33.

Australia play Sri Lanka in their next game on Thursday, while Bangladesh face New Zealand on Friday.

‘An encouraging performance for England’ – reaction

Australia captain Meg Lanning: “It was great to see Georgia back after a long time out with a serious injury. I was pumped to see her back, she’s a gamechanger.

“It is nice to know we’re playing in the same conditions for the next two games and it was challenging at times tonight. We know we can get better.”

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty: “The way Marufa Akter is improving, she doesn’t look like she’s 18. She is so mature and bowled really well against some world-class batters.

“We’re looking to play good cricket for the rest of the tournament but we need to improve our batting. In the last five overs today, we didn’t get as many boundaries as we wanted.”

England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss on BBC Test Match Special: “As an England fan, I am encouraged by this Australia performance. I am so used to watching them dominate from ball one and I haven’t seen them bat like that for a long time.”