Tigresses to stick to their 'natural game'

Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter, who starred in the team's opening win against Pakistan at the ICC Women's World Cup, has shown she can handle the hype surrounding her performances.

Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty said the team remains focused on playing their natural game against title contenders England in Guwahati today.

"We try to keep her to a simple gameplan," Joty explained in yesterday's pre-match press conference. "We don't burden her whether she succeeds or not.

"We all know about her struggles from an early age so she's very hardworking and now she's getting the result. There was a lot of hype after the first game but from what I have seen, she doesn't bother with those things because of the child-like nature that she has," she added.

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With conditions in India differing from Colombo, Joty stressed relying on instincts developed during the Pakistan win. "The first match was important; a good start boosts team mentality. In these tournaments, spinners usually dominate, but Marufa gave us a brilliant start, and the spinners combined to pick eight wickets. Bowling-wise, we are in rhythm."

On batting, she added, "Our batters looked confident against Pakistan. We want to carry those positives into the next game."

Joty acknowledged England's line-up, last faced at the 2022 T20 World Cup, may prompt changes. "We want to play our natural game, but there will be adjustments because of many right-hand batters. If needed, we'll add a spinner or seamer; Fariha Trisna could be considered if conditions suit."

England all-rounder Charlie Dean, meanwhile, suggested negating Marufa's swing early would be the way to go for the four-time champions. "I guess looking to negate the swinging ball early with Marufa. And then, I guess, settling in against the spin and batting really long, I think, is how we're going to approach the game," she said.