Bangladesh’s women’s cricket team showcased an impressive performance during the recent ODI series against India, a feat acknowledged by the latest ICC rankings.

The three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and India ended in a thrilling 1-1 draw, with the third and decisive match concluding in a tie. Fargana Hoque made history by becoming the first Bangladeshi woman to score a century in this format during the third match. However, the Tigresses faced a setback in the T20I series against the same opposition, losing 2-1.

In the recent weekly update, which considered performances in the last two matches of the series (part of the ICC Women’s Championship), both Fargana Hoque and spinner Nahida Akter achieved notable milestones.

Fargana’s remarkable performance earned her 565 rating points, the highest ever attained by a Bangladesh woman batter. Her exceptional feat led to her breaking into the top 20 rankings, securing the 19th position. Previously, the best rank for a Bangladesh woman batter was held by Rumana Ahmed at 25th position in February 2017.

Left-arm spinner Nahida Akter’s impressive figures of three for 37 in the final ODI propelled her to the 19th position in the bowling rankings. This is the highest ranking achieved by a Bangladesh bowler, surpassing Salma Khatun’s 20th position in December 2022.

In the Indian squad, Harleen Deol, who was named ‘player of the match’ in the final ODI for her top-scoring 77 runs, climbed an impressive 32 places to reach the 51st position. Jemimah Rodrigues, who played a match-winning innings of 86 in the second ODI, also rose by 41 places to secure the 55th position. Deepti Sharma remains in the top 10 among bowlers, while Sneh Rana moved up three places to reach the 38th position.

Meanwhile, England’s all-rounder Natalie Sciver-Brunt claimed the top rank in the batter rankings for the first time in her career. Her match-winning century in the final ODI against Australia in Taunton boosted her standing, surpassing Australia’s Beth Mooney. Moreover, Sciver-Brunt extended her lead in the all-rounders’ rankings with a 39-rating point margin over West Indies captain Hayley Matthews.

Marufa Akter’s Remarkable Journey: From a Remote Village to the Limelight. Marufa Akter’s life story reads like a fairy tale, surpassing the plots of films or novels. Hailing from the conservative society of Dhelapir, under Saidpur upazilla in Nilphamari, and born into a financially struggling family, her dream of becoming a cricketer seemed distant at first. However, Marufa’s unyielding spirit and resilience knew no bounds, and she drew strength and courage from her experiences, including working in the fields with her father.

Fast-forward to July 16 this year, and Marufa played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s historic maiden ODI victory over India. Her four-wicket haul, complemented by teammate Rabeya Khatun’s three scalps, paved the way for a 40-run win in a rain-curtailed match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The journey to success was not without challenges. In 2018-19, financial constraints threatened to hinder Marufa’s admission to the BKSP, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recognized her potential and stepped in to support her. Proving her worth, she emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the Women’s Dhaka Premier League and was rightfully awarded the best-emerging-player title, earning her a spot in the 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers.

Marufa’s achievements stand as a testament to the changing landscape for women in Bangladesh, defying outdated norms and customs. She symbolizes the courage and determination displayed by women during the Liberation War, breaking barriers and inspiring others.

Despite prevailing patriarchal norms, women in Bangladesh are excelling in various fields, contributing to the country’s progress in administration, teaching, banking, NGOs, and more. The achievements of individuals like Marufa serve as a beacon of hope, transcending national borders and inspiring generations to come.

We celebrate Marufa’s journey and encourage her to continue shining like a cheetah, a symbol of strength and determination. Let her accomplishments in sports and culture continue to inspire women across the nation and beyond.

The Women’s Cricket League regrets not being able to play first-class cricket. A couple of years ago, the girls got the status of the Test team, but they could not play red-ball cricket until now.

Finally, they started on Thursday at Sheikh Abu Nasser Stadium in Khulna. Earlier, BCL was launched as a first-class cricket league for men, but this is the first time women are playing two-day matches.

BCB women’s wing chairman Shafiul Alam Chowdhury inaugurated the tournament of the longer version. On the first day, Team Yamuna was all out for just 155 runs in the first innings. In response, Team Padma lost seven wickets to score 112 runs in the first innings. Padma trailed by 43 runs with three wickets in hand.

Jamuna captain Sobhana Mostari scored 49 and Sultana Khatun scored 38 runs. Salma Khatun took four wickets and Fahima Khatun took three wickets. In reply, despite Saathi Rani’s 43 and Ritu Moni’s 40, Team Padma lost seven wickets to score 112 runs. Sanjida Akhter took four wickets.

Bangladesh lost the second match of the Women’s T20 World Cup to Australia. After this embarrassing 8-wicket loss on Tuesday, there were allegations of spot-fixing by one of the country’s cricketers. The country’s private television channel Jamuna TV aired recorded audio between the two Bangladeshi cricketers. One of them is in South Africa with the team, another cricketer is not in this tournament. The BCB came to know about the incident and the player reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Unit.

BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said, “ICC’s anti-corruption unit looks into these matters. Our players know very well what they can and cannot do. If a proposal comes in, they know that as per the event protocol, it must be communicated to the ICC’s ACU. It is not something for BCB to investigate. We cannot say anything based on a news report. It is a susceptible matter.’

On Tuesday, Jamuna TV aired the recording of the conversation between the two women cricketers. One of them is in Bangladesh, and another in South Africa. Cricketers in Bangladesh were middlemen for gamblers and cricketers participating in the World Cup. He was telling the cricketer in South Africa that he can win matches whenever he wants. If stumped or hit a wicket, then money would be paid to him. But the cricketer rejected his offer. The cricketer did not play the match against Australia on Tuesday. He told the incident to BCB and team management.

Bangladesh women’s team lost shamefully to Australia in T20 World Cup. After losing the first match to Sri Lanka by 7 wickets, Niger Sultana Jyoti Bahini lost to Ajid by 8 wickets. Australia reached the target by losing 2 wickets in reply to Bangladesh’s 106 runs at St George’s Park on Tuesday. They won with 10 balls in hand. Mag Lenning scored 48, Alyssa Healy scored 37 and Gardner scored 19 runs for Ajid. Beth Mooney scored 2 runs. Marufa and Swarna took one wicket each for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh scored 106 runs at the end of the scheduled over. Jyoti Bahini started fighting against Ajid from the beginning. They lost 2 wickets after 11 runs. Shamima Sultana departed for 1 run and Murshida Khatun for 7 runs. Then the wheels of the run slowed down for the representatives of red and green. The procession of wickets continued. Jyoti continued to fight alone in the team’s disaster.

Sobhana Mostari got out with 7 runs off 17 balls in Wareham’s over. Swarna, who faced the second-highest 27 balls, left after 86 runs. He scored 12 runs in that. After Nigar Sultana got out, Tigresses’ innings stopped. He scored 57 runs off 50 balls. His innings had 7 fours and a six. Among the rest, Nahida Akhtar scored 6, Rumana Ahmed 4, Ritu Moni 3, and Marufa Akhtar scored 1. Wareham took 3 wickets for Australia. Darcy Brown took 2 wickets. Megan and Gardner took one wicket each.

Nigar Sultana Jyoti’s team lost to Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in Cape Town on Sunday. The Sri Lankans reached the target of 127 runs given by Bangladesh with 10 balls in hand.

Marufa Akhter put the Sri Lankans in great danger in the run chase. Three Sri Lankan batsmen returned to the dressing room for 25 runs. Chamari Athapathathu (15), Vishami Gunaratne (1), and Anushka Sanjewani (0) were dismissed. However, such great bowling by Bangladesh was not seen in the rest of the match. Harshitha Madhavi and Nilakshi de Silva left the field after winning the team with an unbroken partnership of 104 runs. Harshitha remained unbeaten on 69 off 50 balls. Nilakshi played an unbeaten inning of 41 runs in 38 balls. Marufa took 3 wickets for 23 runs in 4 overs.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and batted first, and scored 126 runs for 8 wickets. Bangladesh’s innings started by defeating Murshida Khatun (0). After that, Shamima Sultana made 28 partnerships with Sobhana Mostari. Shamima departed for 20 runs. Sobhana and Nigar Sultana Jyoti scored 35 runs from the pair. Sobhana returned to the dressing room for 29 runs.

Jyoti could not last long. The captain returned with 28 runs. Bangladesh’s innings were stopped at 126 runs due to the failure of the batsmen in the end. Ranasinghe took 3 wickets for Sri Lanka. Harshitha Madhavi was the man of the match.

Bangladesh won the toss and was elected to bat in Benoni, South Africa on Sunday. The two openers Aafia Asha and Mishti Saha shared a 75-run partnership. At that time, Aafia Hope was dismissed for 53 runs in 43 balls. Sweet Saha was run out for 79 runs. He played an inning of 14 runs in 24 balls.

Then Dilara Akhter and Swarna Akhter made a partnership of 86 runs. Dilara Akhter remained unbeaten on 36 off 27 balls. In the end, Bangladesh scored a challenging score of 165 runs for the loss of just 2 wickets.

Chasing the target, Sri Lanka managed to score 155 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Captain Vismi Gunaratne remained unbeaten on 60 off 54 balls for the team. Apart from this, Deomi Vihanga scored 55 runs in 44 balls. Bangladesh won by 9 runs.