The Bangladesh women's cricket team is all set to kick off their campaign in the upcoming T20 World Cup, with their inaugural match against Scotland scheduled today at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty expressed the team's determination to break the jinx of not winning a single match in previous World Cups.
The match will kick off at 4 pm (BST)
"This World Cup is extremely important for the entire team. In all the previous World Cups we played except for 2014, did not achieve much. So, we're really keen to make this World Cup memorable." Joty said in a pre-match press conference.
Highlighting the team's previous disappointments, Joty added, "It's been quite frustrating not winning a single match. But I believe we can overcome this disappointment this time. We want to start this journey on a positive note with this match."
Drawing confidence from their recent warm-up match win against Pakistan, Joty said, "The way our team has played, especially in the last warm-up match against Pakistan, everyone has been in good form. There's a lot of energy and a winning mentality within the team. The way everyone has backed each other on the field has been impressive."
Joty said assessing the team's current form, "Our batting unit has performed really well, posting good scores. The bowlers have also provided excellent support. So, overall, if we consider everything, the team is in a good position. We'll be playing to win."
It's worth noting that Bangladesh hosted the Women's T20 World Cup in 2014, where the Tigresses managed only one victory out of four matches against Ireland. Since then, they have faced defeats in the group stages of the 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 editions against India, West Indies, Australia, and South Africa, respectively.
The ninth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup is set to be held in the United Arab Emirates, starting today and culminating with the final on October 20th.
A total of 23 matches will be played across two venues in Dubai and Sharjah. Bangladesh placed in Group B alongside South Africa, England, and West Indies.