‘No negativity’ as Tigresses brace for ultimate test
Bangladesh's build-up to the ICC Women's World Cup has been far from ideal. Since April, there has been no domestic competition, no international series, and poor practice surfaces, leaving the Tigresses grappling with batting concerns.
Realistically, their sights are set on matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the eight-team competition.
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Sharmin Akter and captain Nigar Sultana Joty had finished among the top scorers in the qualifiers, but in the four months since, preparations have faltered. In Sylhet, wickets were lively, but substandard in BKSP.
On the eve of departure for Colombo, the Bangladesh captain brushed aside "negativity", instead looking ahead to warm-ups against South Africa and Sri Lanka on September 25 and 27, respectively, as opportunities to test combinations and fix weaknesses.
"We are not focused on any negativity, and don't have time for it… We are trying to rectify our weaknesses and have worked through match-scenarios in most training sessions," Joty said during the press conference in Mirpur yesterday.
In international cricket, a certain flow is needed to keep the batting unit sharp. The women's struggles were already visible in BKSP, particularly against the U-15 national men's side. Joty noted the long gap without international cricket and admitted inconsistency was inevitable, adding that a batting unit "needs competitive cricket, on good wickets, regularly."
She added, "I think we will know our standards when we play at a certain level regularly… We have a challenge ahead, but it's a good opportunity to play on good wickets in the ICC tournament."
At the last ODI World Cup in 2022, the Tigresses managed only one win. This time, head coach Sarwar Imran pointed to Pakistan and Sri Lanka as "fifty-fifty contests", stressing that the immediate goal is to do better than last time.
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