Joty blames dew for Bangladesh's costly fielding errors

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty pointed to dew as a major factor behind her side's costly fielding errors in their 40-run defeat to India in the Women's Asia Cup semifinal in Dubai on Thursday.

Bangladesh had India under pressure early after opting to field, but several missed chances allowed the defending champions to recover and post 149 for six. Shafali Verma was dropped twice in the opening three overs and went on to make 64 off 40 balls.

Richa Ghosh was also given a reprieve later in the innings, which further hurt Bangladesh as India finished strongly.

Speaking after the match, Joty highlighted the difficulty of fielding under the evening conditions, with dew making the ball harder to control. The lapses proved particularly costly on a pitch where Bangladesh's bowlers had otherwise kept India in check for long periods.

Sultana Khatun took two wickets, while Marufa Akter, Nahida Akter and Rabeya Khan claimed one each. India, however, added 53 runs in the final five overs to reach a competitive total.

Bangladesh struggled to maintain the required scoring rate in the chase. Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter gave them a positive start, but India's spinners gradually tightened the pressure. Joty made 19 before falling to Prema Rawat, while Deepti Sharma finished with three wickets.

Bangladesh ended on 109 for seven, bringing their Asia Cup campaign to an end.

For Joty and her team, the defeat left the missed chances as one of the clearest regrets from a match in which their bowling had initially given them a realistic chance of reaching the final.