Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
We are reaching the business stage of the Women’s Asia Cup 2018 tournament.
There have been some terrific performances across this tournament, and the highlight for me was Bangladesh getting their first ever win against India in all formats. Thailand should also be proud of picking up a victory in the tournament, and with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all vying for a top two spot, it promises to be an exciting finish to the tournament.
Here are my top five performances of Women’s Asia Cup 2018, so far:
5. Mithali Raj 97* (69), India v Malaysia
Classy India opener Mithali Raj began her Asia Cup 2018 campaign in style, scoring 97* in India’s total of 169/3, that proved to be 142 too many for Malaysia.
Raj hit 13 fours and a six, striking at a superb 140 runs per 100 balls. This remains the highest score of the tournament to date.
4. Bismah Mahroof 60* (41), Pakistan v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka and Pakistan were considered two sides with a good chance of finishing in the top two, so this game was vital.
Pakistan skipper Bismah Mahroof held the innings together in true style, elevating her team to 136/4. Pakistan eventually won the game by 23 runs, so her contribution was vital. She also backed this up with 62 off just 37 against Malaysia, to give Pakistan extra momentum ahead of the huge game v India.
The innings v Sri Lanka is an innings fans will look back on with great joy if Pakistan end up making the final.
3. Fargana Hoque 52* (46), Bangladesh v India
Bangladesh were 49/3 chasing 142 against mighty India. Bangladesh have never beaten India in any format, so it would have been easy to dismiss their chances. Following the live score of this game, I just about dismissed their chances too.
But wrong I was. Fargana Hoque held things together, and played a superb knock of 52* to see Bangladesh home in one of their famous ever wins.
2. Nida Dar 5/21 (4), Pakistan v Sri Lanka
In the same game as Bismah’s fine knock, Nida Dar spun Sri Lanka into a web, taking 5/21, which was such a key performance in a tight game.
At 48/0 after 7.5 overs, Sri Lanka were right in with a chance of victory, but then Dar worked her magic to cause a Sri Lanka collapse, in which they ended up with 113/9.
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| Nida Dar helped Pakistan overcome Sri Lanka in a superb bowling effort |
1. Rumana Ahmed 3/21 (4) and 42* (34), Bangladesh v India
Hoque was superb for Bangladesh against India, but Rumana Ahmed stood above the rest in an amazing all round performance.
Rumana kept things tight in the field, restricting India to 141, which was OK from a Bangladesh perspective. Three wickets and a run out is a good day in itself.
However, she partnered with Fargana Hoque for an unbeaten stand of 93 (the highest for Bangladesh in T20Is) to stun India and give Bangladesh a huge chance of a top two finish, given they are playing bottom placed Malaysia, and India and Pakistan play each other.
This, for me, was the best performance by any player in the tournament so far.
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| Bangladesh upset India by 7 wickets |
Realistically, it is between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for a top two spot, which will be decided on Saturday.
India and Pakistan will be a beauty of a match (virtual knock out for a finals spot), and Bangladesh should be too strong for Malaysia, which would book their place in the final.
All to play for!
