Bangladesh women’s cricket team made a dominant start to their ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers campaign, crushing Thailand by a record 178 runs in their opening match at the LCCA Ground in Lahore on Thursday.
The victory, Bangladesh’s biggest in Women’s One Day International (WODI) history, was fueled by a sensational performance with both bat and ball.
Captain Nigar Sultana Joty led from the front, smashing her maiden WODI century with a blistering 101 off just 80 balls, making her the fastest Bangladeshi batter to reach the milestone. She surpassed Fargana Hoque’s previous record, set in 2023, when she took 156 balls to score a century against India.
Joty walked in at number four after opener Farzana Hoque’s solid 53-run knock and built a crucial partnership with Sharmin Akhter, who anchored the innings with an unbeaten 94 off 126 balls. Their efforts powered Bangladesh to their highest-ever WODI total of 271 for 3, surpassing their previous best of 252 for 4 against Ireland in Mirpur.
Bangladesh’s bowlers then delivered a ruthless performance, with spinners Fahima Khatun and Jannatul Ferdus dismantling Thailand’s batting lineup. Fahima claimed 5 for 21, while Jannatul recorded a remarkable 5 for 7, as Thailand collapsed for just 93 runs in 28.5 overs.
The Tigresses will now take on Ireland at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, carrying strong momentum from their record-breaking victory.
