Bangladesh eyeing semi-final after a decade-long wait for victory

Group stage, quarter-finals, and then the semi-final. To reach the final four, Bangladesh must first overcome the initial hurdles.

But for Bangladesh in the Women’s T20 World Cup, even one win has become as elusive as gold. Since making their debut in 2014 and winning two matches on home soil, those victories remain their last taste of success.

Bangladesh has since participated in four more T20 World Cups but hasn’t won a single match. Now, ten years later, in the UAE, Bangladesh’s primary mission is to win at least one game and relive the forgotten taste of victory. However, their aspirations don’t stop there—this time, they are also eyeing a spot in the semi-finals. Speaking at a press conference after their official photoshoot in Mirpur, captain Nigar Sultana Joty expressed her ambitions, saying, “Who wouldn’t want to play in the semi-finals?”

Bangladesh’s captain is well aware of how difficult it is to secure a place in the top four. That’s why she wants the team to break their winless streak first, build confidence, and then fight for the semi-finals. Nigar said, “The first goal is definitely to win a match. Other than 2014, we’ve never won a match in a World Cup. We’ve played good cricket, but if you don’t win, it doesn’t mean much. So our first target is to win a match. Secondly, once we get that momentum… who wouldn’t want to play in the semi-finals?”

“Our goal is to do something special. We know that if we want to take our cricket one step further, there’s no bigger platform than the World Cup. If we do well there, it will not only boost our women’s cricket, but it will also inspire others who dream of wearing the Bangladesh jersey and achieving something great for the country.” Nigar added.

Bangladesh’s first match in the Women’s T20 World Cup, starting on 3 October, will be against Scotland. Bangladesh has never lost to the Scottish team in T20s. However, Nigar stressed that beating Scotland alone won’t be enough to reach the semi-finals. “To reach the semi-finals, it’s not just about beating Scotland; we’ll have to win the other three matches as well. We’ll have a different plan for each team,” she said.

“If we focus on the opposition before each match and execute our plans, it will work in our favor. We recently defeated South Africa in T20s (in their own country), so we have good experience against them. We usually only face England in World Cups and play them very rarely otherwise. It’s a new opponent, and it could be challenging for them too. The matches in Sharjah suit our spinners. Who knows, something might happen!” Nigar added.

This year’s Women’s T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh. However, after a change in government, the ICC moved the tournament to the UAE due to the evolving political situation. Bangladesh remains the official host, which is why they will play the opening match. In the group stage, Bangladesh will face England on 5 October, West Indies on 10 October, and South Africa on 12 October. The first three matches will take place in Sharjah, with the last one in Dubai.