Bangladesh Womens Cricket team completed their preparation camp on Monday ahead of the forthcoming ACC Womens Asia Cup, which starts on July 19. The Tigresses are scheduled to depart for Sri Lanka today and Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty revealed that their primary target in the event is to reach the semifinals.
One of the biggest successes in Bangladesh cricket came in the Womens Asia Cup 2018, when the Tigresses beat India to become champions. "The Asia Cup holds a special emotional significance for our womens cricket. After winning the 2018 Asia Cup, there has been a significant revolution in Bangladesh womens cricket," Joty recalled during a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Monday.
However, in the last Asia Cup held at home in 2022, the team was eliminated in the group stage. Joty therefore, exposed their primary target saying, "In the last Asia Cup, we could not reach the semifinals. So, our first target is the semifinals. For that, our first match is crucial because we have not been performing well for a long time. While there have been some notable individual performances, we have not done well as a team. We want to start the first match against Sri Lanka well to build momentum."
Bangladesh will host the ICC Womens T20 World Cup in October this year. Joty also sees this tournament as preparation for the World Cup. "It is a great opportunity for us to prepare ourselves for the World Cup through the Asia Cup. The last two series have been disappointing, with us not winning a single match. Then we had a long break, during which we played domestic cricket. Those who performed well there are now in the team. In the last camp, I saw that everyone is in a good mood. We are now looking forward to playing good cricket."
Two vastly experienced cricketers Jahanara Alam and Rumana Ahmed are making comebacks in this tournament. Pacer Jahanara has returned to the national team after more than a year, while leg-spinning all-rounder Rumana returns after 16 months following brilliant performances in the DPL. Jahanara took a tournament-high 25 wickets in nine matches as Rumana scored 241 runs in six innings with the bat and took 17 wickets in five matches.
Regarding the inclusion of the two seniors, Joty further said, "Experience always comes in handy. Both of them have played in the last two Asia Cups. They have returned after a long time and performed well in recent domestic tournaments. I think these two experienced players will have a big impact on the team. We have already seen them use their experience in the warm-up matches."
