Sobhana Mostary’s impressive innings of 118 runs off 134 balls in Brisbane has made her a standout figure in Bangladesh’s women’s cricket, marking the highest ODI score by a Bangladeshi batter against Australia. Although her team was handed a decisive defeat, Mostary’s century is a notable milestone for the visitors, sparking potential growth for her at this level.
Expressing her delight, Mostary shared, “I am so happy about my century. I batted against a world champion team. It is the first time one of us scored a hundred in Australia. I thought about my batting style after the way I got out in the first ODI. I just realised how I can bat deep. I thought about my process. I went out there and played to my strength.”
Mostary took to the crease under challenging circumstances, with Bangladesh struggling at eight runs for three wickets within the first eight overs. Amidst intense pressure, she capitalised early on, pushing through the covers off Megan Schutt before elegantly striking three boundaries against Georgia Wareham’s legspin in her first over. Continuing to build her innings, she executed two exquisite cover drives off Alana King to reach her half-century from 66 balls.
Her productive partnership with captain Nigar Sultana allowed both players to stabilise the innings. Mostary achieved her century in the 45th over, eliciting celebrations from both players at the crease. She was quick to credit her captain for her significant contribution with a patient 74 runs and the establishment of the highest partnership for Bangladesh in women’s ODIs at 195 runs for the fourth wicket.
“Captain Joti told me to just stay out there, at least till the 40th over. Afterwards, we can maybe play our shots. We looked out for the bad ball, which we punished. We had to respect the good ball. Joti kept telling me that I am capable of scoring a century,” Mostary explained, emphasising their strategic approach of batting through the full 50 overs rather than adopting a riskier strategy.
While acknowledging the resilient Australian bowling, Mostary noted, “They were bowling really well. We planned to bat out the fifty overs in the first ODI too. We planned similarly today too. When I went out there, we had lost three wickets already. I managed to play the ball according to the merit, and play my own shots also.”
As the match developed, coach David Hemp advised the duo during a drinks break to aim for batting until at least the 42nd over, after which they could opt to play more aggressively. Following this strategy, Mostary and Sultana executed their strengths effectively.
This remarkable inning by Mostary, alongside Sultana’s support, stands as a testament to their tenacity and determination, even amidst challenging circumstances against an esteemed Australian side.
