Sultana Khatun Sees More to Come from Sharmin Akhter After Match-Winning Knock
Spinner Sultana Khatun believes that Sharmin Akhter’s best performances are still ahead of her, despite the opener leading Bangladesh to a dominant 154-run victory over Ireland in the first match of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.
Sharmin, who was dropped from the team 16 months ago due to a low strike rate, made a sensational return to the Bangladesh women’s ODI team, scoring 96 off just 89 balls to silence her critics. She fell just four runs short of her maiden ODI century when she was dismissed in the penultimate over. Her innings, which included 14 boundaries, came at an impressive strike rate of 107.86, showcasing a significant shift in her batting style.
Although Sharmin picked up a minor injury while fielding later in the match, it was not serious. She was kept under observation and could not attend the post-match press conference. Sultana, who claimed three wickets in the match, stepped in to speak on her behalf.
When asked if Sharmin's knock was the best batting performance by a Bangladeshi player in women’s ODIs, Sultana replied: "No, she can do even better than this. I hope she will perform even better in the next match. She batted really well, and this is only the second time I’ve seen her play so aggressively. She can improve further if she wants to. It would have been great if she had reached her hundred."
Sultana also offered her thoughts on the pitch, which she felt played differently than usual for Mirpur, which is known for its slow and low conditions.
"I didn’t feel that today’s wicket was slow and low. When they bowled, some deliveries reached chest height. On a typical slow and low pitch, the ball would stay below our knees. There were a few odd deliveries, but overall, the wicket was good. This was a 270-run wicket," she explained.
"Our main target was to score 300, but we couldn’t reach it. We’ll aim for over 300 in the next match," she added.
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