Bangladesh women’s cricket team embellished the day eight further with the credible gold medal when the Tigresses crushed their Sri Lankan counterparts by a neck of two-run difference in the roller-coaster final fixture of the XIII South Asian Games women’s cricket competition at the Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara, Nepal yesterday.

In fact it was a Bangladesh day as male and female archers swept away all gold medals decided on the day.

Put into bat, Bangladesh batters failed to justify their improvement in batting in the face of controlled bowling onslaught from Sri Lankan bowlers. Even though they lost their first wicket for 16, they slumped further when they lost five wickets in the space of just seven runs while they were sprawling at 42 for six.  

Finally Bangladesh mustered only 91 runs on the board at the cost of eight wickets in their stipulated 20 overs courtesy of wicketkeeper-batsman Niger Sultana, who cracked a jaw-dropping century in the previous outing, resisted the pressure to allow Bangladesh to play their stipulated 20 overs. She clouted the team-highest 29 off 38 with two fours and a six in her unbeaten knock.

Her 32-run partnership with Fatima Khatun (15 off 21) was crucial that eventually helped Bangladesh post 91 for eight on the score sheet.

Right-arm off break Umesha Thimashini, who was the most successful bowler among the islanders, bagged four wickets for eight in her four-over quota.

But Bangladesh’s strong bowling attack defended their paltry target against the team of Sri Lanka whom they thrashed in the opening match and launched their SA Games campaign on high note this time around.

Captain Harshitha Madavi attempted to bail them out from the precarious 30-4. But pacer Jahanara Alam broke the threatening fifth-wicket partnership of Madavi and Lihini Apsara when the bowler sent captain back for 30.

After Madavi’s departure, Apsara tried to shore up the team but Nahida Akhtar created a bar in the right moment removing Jimanjali Wijenayake out stumped.

Seven runs were needed off the penultimate over. Well-set Apsara was still at stumps on 25 but experienced pacer Jahanara confirmed Bangladesh came away with the victory as Apsara fell to a run out while trying to take a double in the fourth delivery before Malsha Ranathunga also fell to a run out in the final delivery of the over with three needed for triumph.

Jahanara successfully defended the scanty runs. The pacer conceded only four runs in her but team’s final over.  As a result, Sri Lanka (89-9) finally fell two runs shy of Bangladesh’s mere total.

Nahida Akhter, who picked two scalps beside taking a catch and trapping run-out, was named player of the match for her dexterous performance.

“Definitely this gold will inspire the team more to perform good in the future … the gold is very important for team as well as for the country,” said women’s team manager and former national team opener Javed Omar Belim to reporters after the match.

There is nothing better than this for the team to have gold it’s a huge achievement for the country, said excited Javed.

Replying to a question, “Javed said we were short of fifteen to twenty runs in the match which the girls covered it by doing good bowling and fielding and snatched the victory in the final.”

Responding to a another quarry, Javed said the SA Games was not of their part of preparation of World Cup as it was only in their mind that they came here to win gold for the country.