Bangladesh search for answers amid recurring batting collapses

After suffering a second straight defeat at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, Bangladesh are turning their attention to fixing the biggest concern in their campaign so far -- their fragile batting order.

The Tigresses began the tournament brightly with a convincing win over Pakistan, but back-to-back losses have now pushed them outside the top four and placed their knockout hopes under pressure. With a short turnaround before facing South Africa in Vizag on Monday, their batting frailties have become the centre of scrutiny.

In their 100-run loss to New Zealand, Bangladesh's middle-order all-rounder Rabeya Khan stood out with an all-round effort — taking 3 for 30 and scoring 25 off 39 balls -- but she admitted after the game that the team's batting unit needs to take collective responsibility.

"If the top-order doesn't score runs, whatever the lower order does becomes useless," Rabeya told reporters. "It's really tough for us that way. Our batting has collapsed in the last two games."

The pattern has been consistent: early wickets and limited partnerships have stifled Bangladesh's momentum. Reflecting on their earlier loss to England, Rabeya said she and Fahima Khatun had tried to rebuild but were left with too much to do.

"We lost wickets very early, so we focused on taking singles to keep the scoreboard moving," she said. "But since we lost many wickets early, we couldn't manage a big score. The wicket was the same for both teams --we just didn't play well."

Captain Nigar Sultana Joty's form has also been under the spotlight, with the skipper averaging just nine runs so far. Rabeya, however, defended her captain's efforts, insisting that the results do not reflect her commitment.

"She's very confident in practice and during matches too. Sometimes, the runs just don't come off the bat -- that's normal. She's trying hard; there's no lack of effort from her side," Rabeya added.

Bangladesh's upcoming clash against a resurgent South Africa, who have won two straight games after an opening loss, now looms as a defining moment. To stay in contention, the Tigresses must find a way to steady their batting and turn promising starts into competitive totals.