Captain Meg Lanning hailed 'game-changer' Georgia Wareham's successful return following the leg-starring spinner's role in Australia's eight-wicket win over Bangladesh at the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023, here.
The 23-year-old, who ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament 15 months ago, took three for twenty to help Bangladesh to 107 and earn Player of the Match honours in her first appearance in the competition.
Australia skipper Lanning then led the reply with an unbeaten 48 as the reigning champions won their second consecutive match on Tuesday night with 10 balls to spare.
"It was wonderful to see Georgia Wareham return. She has had a long recovery from a serious injury "Lanning stated this during the post-match presentation.
"She is a game-changer who can have an impact on the game in all three areas, which is certainly useful to have. We're thrilled to have her back, and it's encouraging to see her succeed "She went on to say.
The Australian captain also praised Bangladesh's bowling attack, praising 18-year-old Marufa Akter, who was her team's leading wicket taker at the recent ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup and took the early wicket of Beth Mooney to add to the three she claimed against Sri Lanka.
"It was a little difficult out there with the bat at times. Bangladesh bowled extremely well and made things difficult for us. Marufa was outstanding. She bowled with good pace and swing and really tested us, but that was to be expected "Lanning stated.
"I think the U19 World Cup was excellent for exposing young girls to high-pressure cricket, and we saw today how that will enable them to take the next step," she added.
Nigar Sultana Joty, on the other hand, impressed in a losing cause, becoming the first Bangladesh batter to hit a half-century at an ICC Women's T20 World Cup with an elegant 57, and the youngster was praised for her performance.
"Marufa is improving and, despite her appearance, she is 18 years old. She bowled really well against some world-class batters, and she plays cricket so naturally "Nigar stated.
Nigar went on to say that her team will focus on improving their batting before facing New Zealand on Friday.
"Obviously, we need to improve our batting lineup. We couldn't get as many boundaries as we wanted in the last five overs. We need to work on that in the next couple of games, as well as boost the mood "She stated.
"We didn't get many powerplay runs, but we wanted at least 40. We lost [Shorna's] wicket, and I tried to recover, but I couldn't "She went on to say.
Nigar, who hit seven fours and a six, shared a promising 44-run partnership with 16-year-old Shorna Akter but lamented her team's inability to post a more difficult total.
"I was there, and it was a fantastic track. I just tried to play my natural game because I know if [Shorna] bats for a long time, we can put up a good total on the board "The batter stated.