Charlotte Edwards made her first format fifty since September 2014 as England women began their ICC Women’s World Twenty20 campaign with a comfortable 36-run win over Bangladesh.
Edwards’ 60 formed the backbone of England’s 153 for seven in Bangalore, a total which was always far too steep for their opponents.
England made a strong start after Edwards won the toss and chose to bat, with the skipper and Tammy Beaumont taking 44 from the powerplay.
Natalie Sciver, Danni Wyatt and Katherine Brunt then made useful late contributions, while England’s bowling unit never let their opponents get anywhere near the required rate from the moment Brunt started with a wicket maiden.
The 36-year-old Edwards and Beaumont hit the ground running, with the latter cutting Jahanara Alam to the fence in the first over before both hit boundaries off Nahida Akter and Beaumont then clubbed Salma Khatun down the ground for six in the fourth over.
#ENG captain Charlotte Edwards collects her Player of the Match award after top-scoring with 60 runs! #WT20 pic.twitter.com/xFCLCoLRKC
— ICC (@ICC) March 17, 2016
Jahanara gained revenge with the first ball of the next over as she bowled Beaumont, who missed aiming a heave across the line having made 18 from 14 balls.
Edwards continued to be aggressive after the field went back, hitting boundaries either side of the wicket off Jahanara.
Sarah Taylor was stumped for nine attempting to charge Fahima Khatun and Heather Knight was caught and bowled by Khadija Tul Kubra for one.
But Edwards whipped Kubra through mid-on, then took a single to midwicket in Rumana’s next set of six to bring up her 11th T20I fifty.
Edwards was dropped off Khatun as the spinner failed to grasp a sharp caught-and-bowled chance but Sciver was soon caught in deep by Nahida Akter in the same over for 27.
Rumana had Edwards stumped late on for 60, but Wyatt thrashed 15 from eight balls and Brunt smashed 17 off the same number of deliveries as England passed 150 on Asian soil for only the second time in T20Is.
Fantastic knock for @Lottie2323!
6⃣️0⃣️#WT20 pic.twitter.com/qbJuB7zVs0— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 17, 2016
Both fell in Jahanara’s final over as the Bangladesh captain finished with 3-32.
Brunt bowled Sharmin Akhter at the end of the first over of the Bangladesh innings and although Fargana Hoque was spilled by Wyatt at square-leg in Anya Shrubsole’s next over, England were always in control.
Jenny Gunn’s first over went for eight, but Shrubsole had Ayasha Rahman caught by Edwards at mid-off for two at the other end as Bangladesh mustered just 21 for two from the powerplay.
Fargana’s luck finally ran out when she hit Danielle Hazell straight to Sciver at short midwicket for 19, and Rumana Ahmed was sent packing for an identical score after being run out by Edwards’ direct hit.
Salma and Nigar Sultana then shared a sprightly 64-run stand for the fifth wicket, although the asking rate was always too steep for them to affect the outcome of the contest.
Sultana was stumped late on for 35 off Shrubsole, whose 2-27 were the pick of the bowling figures, with Salma finishing unbeaten on 32 in a Bangladesh total of 117 for six – their highest in T20 Internationals.
Source: ECB