Sports Desk:

Bangladesh won the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier 2022 after defeating Ireland by seven runs in the final Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

Both Bangladesh and Ireland booked their places in the World Cup after qualifying for the final. The next ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is set to be played in South Africa in February 2023.

Bangladesh batted first in the final after winning the toss. Fargana Hoque smashed 61 off 55 balls and powered Bangladesh to 120-8 in 20 overs. Rumana Ahmed was the only other Bangladeshi batter to reach double-digit. She made 21.

Laura Delany bagged three wickets for Ireland; Cara Murray and Arlene Kelly took two wickets each.

In reply, Ireland scored 113-9 and lost the match by seven runs. Batting at number nine, Arlene Kelly scored 28.

Rumana Ahmed picked up three wickets for Bangladesh. Sanjida Akter Meghla, Nahida Akter and Shohely Akhter scalped two wickets each.

In the group phase, Bangladesh beat Ireland, Scotland and the US. In the semifinal, Bangladesh defeated Thailand.