Women's Asia Cup 2022: Fariha Trisna's hat-trick helps Bangladesh rout Malaysia by 88 runs

Bangladesh thrashed Malayasia in the 11th match of the ongoing Women's Asia Cup T20 2022. The defending champions dominated their opposition, winning the game by a resounding margin of 88 runs to secure their second win in the continental tournament. Bangladeshi skipper Nigar Sultana was named the player of the match for her belligerent half-century which took the home side to a strong total of 129 runs.

The contest was a mismatch on paper, and it proved to be the case as Malayasia never looked like chasing the total set by the hosts. The dominance of Bangladeshi bowlers could be highlighted by the fact that none of the Malayasian batters managed to reach double figures in the match. 

Bangladesh's Fariha Trisna was their tormentor-in-chief, registering a record-setting hattrick on debut in T20I cricket. The left-arm pacer returned with exceptional bowling figures of 3/12 in her four overs as Malayasia's innings fizzled out for a paltry 41 runs.

Nigar Sultana provided the much needed impetus to the Bangladeshi innings

Earlier in the match, Nigar Sultana called it right at the toss and elected to bat first on a challenging surface. Their innings was off to a rocky start as veteran wicketkeeper-batter Shamima Sultana was dismissed on the very first delivery of the match for a golden duck. After a brief period of consolidation, Murshida Khatun (56) and Nigar Sultana (53) took the game to the Malayasian bowlers. 

While Murshida dropped anchor from one end, the skipper put her feet on the accelerator in an 87 runs stand for the third wicket. Her innings ensured that the hosts finished with a more than competitive total on a surface that had something on offer for the bowlers.

The Malaysian team were heavy underdogs going into the clash, and while their bowlers gave a great account of themselves in the first ten overs of the match, the home side grew into the game to complete a resounding victory. Sasha Azmi was the pick of the bowlers with a miserly bowling spell of 1/15, receiving valiant support from Mahirah Izzati Ismail (1/17).