Shafali Verma’s early sixes and Poonam Yadav’s most recent leading role helped India to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 against Bangladesh in Perth 18 times.
In Powerplay, Verma smashed a 17-Ball 39, including four sixes, to direct India 142/6 to the highest total number of the competition to date.
Two gates each for Salma Khatun and Panna Ghosh were not enough to stop the momentum, and 35 runs from top scorer Nigar Sultana Joty did not fail as Bangladesh was not upset at WACA.
Poonam, the heroine of India’s opening win with four goals against Australia, was again impressed that she brought a total of seven to the tournament after just two games.
India lost Taniya Bhatia early, but 16-year-old Verma once again showed her star potential by hitting two fours and four sixes in her first 15 balls to lead her country 54/2 to the tournament’s highest power-play result.
Verma’s stint was short-lived, however. Shamima Sultana juggled with a catch from Captain Khatun to stop the teen’s impressive pounding at 39.
Bangladesh’s third wicket was a big one when Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was released for 8, Rumana Ahmed with the hook at the backward point for Panna’s second scalp. Jemimah Rodrigues had a constant score of 34 out of 37 before being phased out by Nahida Akter when Bangladesh slowed the rate.
Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh put in the fifth wicket 19 before being hit by Nahida on the border 14 times when Captain Salma doubled their balance sheet. Deepti was the next to drop out after a mistake in the middle with Veda Krishnamurthy (20), who crossed four borders in her late cameo to bring India to an impressive 142 in the absence of Smriti Mandhana.
By contrast, Bangladesh’s launch was slow and Shamima was the first to die when Shikha Pandey caught him in additional cover. Murshida Khatuns 30 out of 26 got the wheels moving, but the opener was fired on the seventh by Arundathi Reddy, Richa Ghosh, with additional cover.
Sanjida Islam (10) and Nigar Sultana (35) set up a 17-run stand on the third wicket until Bhatia caught the first one before Poonam before Reddy got their second wicket when Fargana Hoque fell on a duck.
Five limits from Nigar Sultana increased the total, but she lost her partner Fahima Khatun in the 15th for 17 when Poonam took her second scalp. The gates kept falling on the WACA, Nigar Sultana was the next victim when Reddy caught her in front of Rajeshwari Gayakwad before Jahanara Alam was released for 10.
Shikha Pandey took her second wicket by bowling Ahmed in the final, but Poonam ended the evening with the best 3/18 bowling figures when India made two of two in Group A.
