Discordant tune-up leaves Tigresses vulnerable

Women's cricket in Bangladesh still receives far less attention than men's, and their preparation continues to lag. Yesterday's Challenge Cup match in Savar showed just how poorly the team's arrangements have been, given a quadrennial global event is fast-approaching.

In a match designed to help fine-tune the Tigresses ahead of September–November's ICC Women's World Cup, national captain Nigar Sultana Joty-led team -- named Red Team, which include several players from the 50-over set-up -- lost by 87 runs to Bangladesh men's U-15 side, a bunch who had never played a white-ball match.

The defeat itself was less significant than the circumstances surrounding it. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had tried but failed to secure international oppositions after being turned down by neighbouring countries. In the end, the only available solution was a makeshift three-team event, featuring two women's squads and a men's youth team. The Tigresses have not featured in an international fixture since April, and the shortcomings of such an appalling preparatory arrangement quickly became apparent, further exposing the national team's "inconsistent" batting.

At the BKSP-3 Ground, Red Team folded for just 94 runs after reaching 50 without loss in pursuit of 182, while the boys -- assembled barely a fortnight ago -- looked sharper and hungrier despite their sheer lack of match experience; and that too in front of a decent crowd, media presence and a live telecast.

"After forming this U-15 team, we had only two weeks of camp, and most of the boys had only played red-ball cricket before," said the winning team's pace bowling coach Mahbubul Alam Robin.

For Joty, the match offered perspective rather than despair. "We weren't getting matches for preparation, so it's better to face different opponents than to just play intra-squad games," she said.

Beyond results, however, deeper concerns lie in the conditions and resources available. Matches in Savar are being staged on slow, low pitches -- ones that bear little resemblance to what awaits in India. "If you compare these wickets with the World Cup tracks, the difference is huge. The wicket was slightly better [than the first fixture] because the sun came out, but still not ideal for preparation," said one experienced player.

The lack of pace bowling options adds another layer to the challenge. "Apart from Marufa [Akter] and Trishna [Fariha], we don't really have pacers. You can't take rookies to a World Cup, but you need a proper pace attack to back up the spinners. There's no pipeline for pacers in the women's game, and our batting is inconsistent too," admitted another cricketer, also requesting anonymity.

Despite the concerns voiced by players, the selectors remain unfazed. "In the subcontinent, most teams don't play with more than two pacers," said women's chief selector Sazzad Ahmed Shipon.

For Bangladesh, the scoreline in Savar mattered less than what it revealed: a team heading into a global tournament after seemingly being set up to fail.