BSS, Dhaka :
Left-arm medium fast bowler Fariha Trishna claimed 6-14 in a gem of pace bowling as Bangladesh Blue made a winning start to 9th Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games, crushing Bangladesh Red by 10 wickets at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Her agenda-setting bowling bundled Red out for 63 in 28.1 overs, which the Blue overhauled without any hiccup, reaching the target of 64 for no loss in 15.5 overs.
Only two batters of Bangladesh Red reached double digit figure as the Bangladesh women cricketers returned to competitive cricket after Covid-19 forced one year long break.
Zinnat Orthi was the highest-scorer with 21 runs while opener Rubya Haider Jhilik made 10. Pacer Jahanara Alam made the breakthrough after her captain Salma Khatun asked Red to bat. Alam broke through with the wicket of opener Sharmin Supta in the third over of the game, paving the way for Trishna to make further carnage.
Trisha rattled the stump of Red Captain Nigar Sultana (4) to claim the first of her six wickets. She then scythed down the middle order, aided by her skipper Salma Khatun who also took 2-14.
Blue however made the chase a cake-walk with openers Murshida Khatun and Shamima Sultana hitting the Red bowlers all corner of the park right from the onset. Shamima was not out on 31 off 54, sending the ball across the rope for five times. Murshida cracked three boundaries in here 41 ball-25.
Blue however will take on Bangladesh Green, the other team of the tournament on March 8 at the same venue. Even though the Bangladesh Games officially will begin on April 1, the cricket discipline of women started earlier.
The format was supposed to be T20 but the BCB spoke with the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) to make it a 50-over-affiar in a bid to help women cricketers for some practice ahead of the South Africa series.
