Pinky the First Bangladeshi Woman with ODI Century
Fargana Hoque Pinky created history in Bangladesh women’s cricket by becoming the first Bangladeshi woman cricketer to score an ODI century during the third and final ODI against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The match turned out to be a significant one for the Tigresses as they posted 225 for four, which became their second-highest score in ODIs after a formidable 234 for seven against Pakistan in Hamilton in 2022.
Pinky’s remarkable knock of 107 runs off 160 deliveries was the centerpiece of the innings and marked a pivotal moment for Bangladesh women’s cricket. The milestone moment arrived in the final delivery of the 48th over when Pinky elegantly drove a Shafali Verma delivery for a boundary through the covers to complete her century off 156 deliveries. Her innings featured seven boundaries and was the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi woman in ODIs, surpassing the previous record of 75 by Salma Khatun against India in Ahmedabad in 2013.
The opening partnership between Pinky and Shamima Sultana provided a solid foundation for Bangladesh. They stitched together a 93-run stand, which was the second-best opening partnership for Bangladesh in the ODI format. Shamima contributed significantly with a well-crafted 78-ball 52, falling just one run short of her career-best ODI score when she was caught off a delivery from Sneh Rana.
Speaking about her momentous achievement, Pinky revealed that her captain, Nigar Sultana Joty, had always teased her about making a century before she could. This friendly competition inspired Pinky to prove herself and set the record first. She acknowledged Joty’s support and credited her for 70 to 80 percent of her century. Pinky’s teammates had always believed in her abilities, and prior to this century, she had registered nine fifties with her previous-best score being 71 against Pakistan in 2022.
“The one who sits beside me (Nigar Sultana Joty), always told me that ‘I will make the century first’. I always heard it. I never replied. I always told her ‘Ok, you will do it’. So, 70 to 80 percent credit goes to her for my hundred because I wanted to show her that I would make it first,” said Pinky with a grin while Joty was also smiling at the time.
“I never scored [an international] hundred before but recently saw Mushfiq bhai (Mushfiqur Rahim) and Shanto bhai (Najmul Hossain) scoring two hundreds; but I scored hundred in domestic cricket,” she added.
“The plan was that if I batted long, we have four-five players who can play big knocks. I always had faith in my skill. When you play a big innings against a big team, it will boost you up in future.”
The significance of Pinky’s century extended beyond personal achievements. It showcased the potential of the Bangladesh women’s cricket team to compete at the highest level and brought hope for a maiden ODI series win over India. The three-match series was evenly poised at 1-1, and with Pinky’s monumental innings, Bangladesh had a realistic chance of securing a historic series victory.
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