Sarah Bryce’s unbeaten 49 was not enough to propel Scotland to victory as they began their inaugural Women’s World T20 Cup campaign with a 16-run loss to Bangladesh. Scotland aimed to chase down 120 for a win, but opener Bryce, who had earlier donned the wicketkeeping gloves in the sweltering Sharjah heat, received minimal support, resulting in a final score of 103 for seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Saskia Horley shone with the ball, helping Scotland restrict Bangladesh, who chose to bat first after winning the toss and were seeking their first win in the competition since 2014, to 119 for seven from their full allocation. Despite dropping three catches in the Group B opener, Horley claimed a career-best three for 13 from her two overs, dismissing Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, and captain Nigar Sultana, whose 18-run contribution was only surpassed by opener Shathi Rani’s 29 and 36 from number three Sobhana Mostary.
The Scots, who had previously lost all four of their T20 internationals against Bangladesh, started inconsistently, with opener Horley and skipper Kathryn Bryce departing early as the score reached 31. Ailsa Lister, who had been dropped in the deep on five, failed to capitalize on her reprieve, holing out after adding just six more runs. Scotland’s challenge faltered further when Priyanaz Chatterji was run out for five with the score at 65.
As the pressure mounted, Scotland fell further behind, and Nahida Akter effectively sealed the win by dismissing Katherine Fraser for two, caught by Rabeya Khan, becoming the first woman from Bangladesh to reach 100 T20 wickets in the process.
