Sobhana Mostary’s maiden ODI century may not have been enough to prevent Bangladesh Women from slipping to a nine-wicket defeat against Australia in the second ODI at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, but the landmark innings earned widespread admiration from both teams and marked a significant moment in Bangladesh women’s cricket.
Arriving at the crease with Bangladesh reeling at 8/3, Mostary responded with a composed 118 off 134 balls, helping the visitors recover to 220/6 before Australia chased the target with 131 balls to spare.
Mostary scripts Bangladesh history
Walking in during the eighth over after Megan Schutt and Kim Garth ripped through the top order, Mostary rebuilt the innings alongside captain Nigar Sultana Joty.
The pair added a record-breaking 195 runs for the fourth wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket by Bangladesh Women in ODIs and the highest partnership against Australia in the history of women’s ODIs.
Mostary reached her maiden ODI century in 123 deliveries before finishing with 118, becoming only the third Bangladesh woman to score an ODI hundred.
Highest ODI scores by Bangladesh Women
- 118 – Sobhana Mostary vs Australia, Brisbane, 2026
- 107 – Fargana Hoque vs India, Mirpur, 2023
- 102 – Fargana Hoque vs South Africa, Potchefstroom, 2023
- 101 – Nigar Sultana vs Thailand, Lahore, 2025
Her innings also established a new national record, surpassing Fargana Hoque’s previous highest ODI score, while making her the first Bangladesh woman to score a century against Australia.
Partnership built on patience
Mostary revealed that she and captain Nigar Sultana entered the innings with a clear plan after Bangladesh’s disastrous start.
“I thought about my batting style after getting out in the last game and how I could bat deep,” Mostary said.
She explained that Sultana encouraged her to stay at the crease until the closing stages while rotating the strike, punishing loose deliveries and respecting the good ones.
“She always told me I was capable of scoring a hundred.”
The strategy paid off as Bangladesh recovered from 8/3 to post their highest-ever ODI total against Australia.
Joty praises her batting partner
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana was delighted to see Mostary reach the milestone after consistently backing her teammate throughout the innings.
“I am very happy for her because she is a wonderful player and has been very consistent with the bat for a long time, so I think she kind of deserved it.”
Reflecting on their record partnership, Joty described it as an important achievement for both the player and Bangladesh women’s cricket.
“It was really historical and definitely a great achievement for her and for the team as well.”
She also revealed she continually encouraged Mostary to push towards the three-figure mark.
“I batted with her and kept telling her that she had to do it.”
McGrath applauds Bangladesh’s effort
Australia captain Tahlia McGrath also praised Mostary’s innings despite her side’s comfortable victory.
“The century was pretty special. It was a good innings, and I’m pretty happy for her, to be honest.”
McGrath added that Bangladesh’s positive intent forced Australia to rethink their plans during the innings.
“They showed really good intent today, got us thinking a bit more about our field changes, and it was awesome to see them post a total like that.”
She summed up the significance of the achievement with a simple assessment:
“Awesome for the game of cricket.”
Voll overshadows Bangladesh’s resistance
Although Mostary produced one of the finest innings in Bangladesh women’s ODI history, Australia’s batting proved overwhelming.
Georgia Voll smashed an unbeaten 131 off 97 balls, while Phoebe Litchfield added 70 as the pair shared a 162-run opening stand. Australia raced to 222/1 in just 28.1 overs, sealing the series with one match remaining.
Despite the result, Mostary’s innings stood out as a major milestone for Bangladesh.
“I’m so happy about my hundred because I did it against the world champion,” Mostary said after the match.
Her century, achieved under immense pressure after Bangladesh collapsed to 8/3, provided one of the brightest moments in the team’s ODI history and offered encouragement heading into the final match of the series.
