Both sides need points in Group A, but they come in on different footings. Bangladesh sit fourth with two points from two matches and a net run rate of -1.790. They opened by beating the Netherlands, with Juairiya Ferdous striking 50 off 33 balls, before being bowled out for 77 and beaten by nine wickets by Australia.
Ferdous leads Bangladesh’s run column with 58, Sharmin Akhter has 42 and opener Dilara Akter 26. Marufa Akter has three wickets, and Ritu Moni has kept her economy near five an over. Captain Nigar Sultana remains the key figure in the middle order.
Pakistan are bottom of the group with a net run rate of -2.263. They lost to India by 64 runs in their opener and then failed to defend 126 against South Africa. Fatima Sana has been the one reliable batter, and Muneeba Ali hit 41 against India before falling cheaply next time. Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar and Aliya Riaz have yet to contribute much, while Tuba Hassan’s 23 against South Africa was one of few other positives.
With the ball, Sana has five wickets. Sadia Iqbal has taken wickets but proved expensive, and Nashra Sandhu has been tidy without breakthroughs. Dropped catches, misfields and poor running have added to the pressure. If those lapses continue, Bangladesh are well placed to take the points.
