Women's T20 World Cup and Bangladesh

It is surprising that women started their Cricket World Cup journey before men. The first men's World Cup was held in 1975, but women played theirs two years earlier in 1973, with England winning the title. However, in the T20 World Cup, men played first in 2007, while women had their first T20 World Cup in 2009. Bangladesh women’s team played in the T20 World Cup even later, in 2014.

In 2014, Bangladesh's women’s team made their debut in the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh hosted the event, with all matches held in Sylhet. The Men’s T20 World Cup also took place in Bangladesh at the same time. The women’s team had a promising start, playing five matches and winning two. They defeated Sri Lanka in the group stage and Ireland in the ninth-place play-off. However, after this 17-run win against Ireland, the team hasn’t secured any victories in the T20 World Cup, despite participating in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2023.

In 2018, Bangladesh faced heavy losses in all four of their matches. The current captain, Nigar Sultana Jyoti, was the highest run-scorer for the team in three of those matches. The 2020 World Cup was even worse, as Bangladesh not only failed to win any matches but also couldn't score 100 runs in any game.

The ninth edition of the Women's Twenty20 World Cup will take place from October 3 to 20. Originally, this year's event was scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, but it has been moved to the United Arab Emirates due to security concerns. A total of 23 matches will be played in two stadiums in Dubai and Sharjah. Ten teams are participating in the tournament, divided into two groups, 'A' and 'B'. Bangladesh is in Group 'B', facing four opponents: Scotland, England, South Africa, and the West Indies. Group 'A' includes the defending champions Australia, along with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh World Cup Squad:
Nigar Sultana Joty will lead Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE.

Squad: Nigar Sultana Jyoti (c), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Marufa Akter, Rabeya, Mst. Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Dilara Akter (wk), Sultana Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Fahima Khatun, Taj Nehar, Disha Biswas, Shathi Rani.
How are the Tigresses' preparations?
Before the World Cup, Bangladesh trained hard on home soil. Following that, Nigar Sultana Jyoti and her team played two warm-up matches in the UAE. In their first match, Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka by 33 runs at the ICC Academy ground in Dubai. However, they secured a 23-run victory against Pakistan at the same venue. This win against Pakistan is expected to give Bangladesh a confidence boost.

Aim:
Bangladesh, which has not won a T20 World Cup match in a decade, is determined to secure a victory. They will focus on the semi-finals later. Before leaving the country, captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti stated, "Our goal in the World Cup must be to win a match. Aside from 2014, we have never won in the World Cup. We’ve played good cricket, but if you don’t win, it means nothing. Our first objective is to win a match. Of course, everyone wants to reach the semi-finals! We will strive for that as well. We understand that if we want to advance our cricket, there is no bigger stage than the World Cup."

Pacer Jahanara Alam said, "This will be my sixth T20 World Cup, and I am proud to have participated in all of them. We defeated Sri Lanka and Ireland at home during the 2014 World Cup. I believe this World Cup will be a bit more challenging for us since there are no Asian teams in our group. That definitely makes it tougher. However, nothing is impossible. If we can replicate the team performance we had in the 2018 Asia Cup, we can achieve great things."

Coach Hasan Tilkaratne said, "Our preparations have been good, but batting remains a concern. However, we did gain some positives from the 'A' team's tour of Sri Lanka. Overall, we are quite confident, and I believe they will secure a win for us."

Who are the favorites?
Australia is the undisputed leader in cricket, both male and female. They dominate every format, and women's T20 cricket is no exception. The Women's T20 World Cup has been held eight times, with the Australian women's team winning the title six times and finishing as runners-up once. This year, the top-ranked team enters the World Cup in excellent form, making them one of the top favorites once again.

England and New Zealand are also among the favorites. However, with the tournament being held in the United Arab Emirates, cricket experts believe India is the top contender after Australia. Meanwhile, cricket fans in Bangladesh will be keeping eyes on Nigar Sultana Jyoti's team. If they can maintain their recent form, Bangladesh could defeat Scotland on the opening day of the World Cup and end their decade-long winless streak.