NZ W VS BD W MATCH 5

Right then, that is all we have from this game. It has been a challenging day but in the end, cricket fans all over the world will be happy. The action in the 2022 Women's World Cup continues on Tuesday, the 8th of March. Australia Women will take on Pakistan Women which will begin at 6.30 am IST (1 am GMT). The build up though will begin much earlier as usual. Do join us then. Cheers!

Sophie Devine, the skipper of New Zealand Women, says they needed a quick turnaround and she is extremely grateful to the ground staff and to Bangladesh as well. Adds, Amelia Kerr and Frances Mackay did well in the bowling department and she is happy to have bowling varieties. Tells, it was a good batting wicket and she was disappointed not to score there but credits the way Bates and Kerr played. Mentions, they have India next and it will be a cracker of a game as well.

Nigar Sultana, captain of Bangladesh Women says that the openers did really well and Fargana Hoque got her first fifty which was exciting to watch. She adds that around 160 would have been a good total but they did not have good partnerships in the middle. Adds that they never played in conditions like today and both their batters and bowlers found it a bit difficult out there but they learned a lot as well. She ends by saying that they did improve on the performance from the last match and will look to keep on improving further.

Suzie Bates is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH. She says it is a strange day with rain and all at homeground but credit to Bangladesh, groundstaff and the umpires who did really well. Adds, they needed to win after their previous loss. On asked about the milestone, 1000 runs in World Cups, she was not aware but she is happy to help the team win as there are big games coming. Mentions, she is happy to have friends and families around to cheer them.

Presentation time...

Bangladesh Women deserve a lot of credit today as it is never easy to come up against a big gun and take the game to them. They did just that at the start with the ball and Salma Khatun even knocked over the dangerous Sophie Devine fairly early on. After that though, the continuous drizzle didn't help their bowlers and it got more and more difficult to bowl with the wet ball. The lack of wickets meant the opposition was able to dictate proceedings and Bangladesh soon faded away from the contest. They will take a lot of heart though with the intensity they showed, with the bat early on and then in the field as well.

The White Ferns didn't get off to the bests of starts with the bat as run-scoring was a bit difficult. Just when the runs started flowing, the skipper Sophie Devine perished. It was then a sublime stand with the experienced Suzie Bates and a player in red-hot form, Amelia Kerr that completely shifted the momentum in the hosts' favour. The pair put on a stand of 108 runs and when things got a bit difficult as the rain got heavier, both of them were able to change gears and find the fence at regular intervals. Bates was the star of the show at her home ground as she brought up 1000 runs in World Cups and saw her side home in what might prove to be a big victory for New Zealand Women in the context of their tournament.

A match that looked impossible to get underway just a few hours ago has now been completed and it has been an intriguing contest. We had overnight rain, there was rain in the morning as well and with no floodlights on the ground, play could only go on till natural light permitted. But with a little help from the weather and a lot of hard work being put in by the ground staff, the match got completed and the hosts were all smiles in the end as they get their first points on the board.

It's been a long wait but finally, New Zealand Women do get their World Cup campaign underway with a win courtesy of Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr. What a match-winning stand this has been between the pair!

FOUR! Winning runs and New Zealand open their account! Very full and around off. Kerr drives it through point for a boundary. New Zealand Women win by 9 wickets.

Short ball, outside off. Bates waits and looks to cut but gets an outside edge to third man. Jahanara Alam chases and does brilliantly to flick it back just at the edge of the ropes. Three runs taken. Superb fielding from Bangladesh today. Just a single needed now.

Tossed up, on off. Kerr shuffles across and scoops it past short fine leg for three runs as the ball stops near the fence. 100 run stand between these two comes up as well.

On a length, on off, Bates chops it late to short third man for a single.

Tossed up, angling arounnd leg. Bates misses her sweep and gets hit on the pads.

FOUR! 1000 World Cup runs for Suzie Bates! What a player for New Zealand! Tossed up, outside off. Bates drives it through covers for a boundary.

Fuller ball, on the pads, Kerr sweeps it to deep backward square leg where another superb stop sees a couple of runs save.

Fuller ball, around off, worked to wide long on for a single.

FOUR! In a hurry now! Fabulous batting from Bates! Short again, outside off. Bates dabs it late past short third man for a boundary.