Bangladesh Women made a perfect start to their ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign with a dominant win over Pakistan Women in Match 3 at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. After Pakistan chose to bat first, their innings collapsed to just 129 all out in 38.3 overs. Marufa Akter gave Bangladesh the best possible start, removing both openers, Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin, for ducks in the very first over. From there, Pakistan’s batters struggled against disciplined bowling, with only Rameen Shamim (23) and Fatima Sana (22) showing some fight. Shorna Akter was the star bowler, taking a career-best 3/5, while Nahida Akter finished with 2/19.

In response, Bangladesh comfortably chased down the target, as debutant Rubya Haider looked incredibly calm in a knock of 54 not out. With captain Nigar Sultana Joty and Sobhana Mostary, she made sure the chase was calm even after losing two early wickets. with that Bangladesh reached 131/3 in 31.1 overs, And won by 7 wickets, as it managed their batting and bowling with confidence and poise. Below are the main reasons for the Bangladesh Women defeat:

1. Batting Collapse and Early Wickets

Pakistan's batting collapsed from the opening over itself. Marufa Akter's swing bowling dismissed the two openers, Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin, for a duck. Losing both openers without a run on the board put Pakistan under big pressure, and they never recovered. Through no fault of their own, the batting line-up quickly fell apart and left too much to be done by the middle order.

2. Bangladesh’s Effective Bowling

Bangladesh’s bowlers did their job very well. Marufa Akter’s early spell with the new ball set the tone, and the spinners took control later. Shorna Akter’s brilliant 3/5 broke the middle order, while Nahida Akter’s 2/19 kept the runs tight. Their accuracy and discipline made batting very hard for Pakistan.

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3. Lack of Partnerships

Even though there were minimal stand contributions from Rameen Shamim and Fatima Sana, they simply did not materialize into holistic partnerships. Pakistan continued to lose wicket after wicket, which greatly hampered the ability to build a strong stand. Without a strong partnership, Pakistan fell for just 129 runs, which is far too few runs to defend against a confident side like Bangladesh.