As part of preparations for next month’s women’s ODI World Cup in India, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) organised a Challenge Cup at BKSP featuring the national women’s team divided into red and green squads, alongside the boys’ under-15 team. Yesterday (Wednesday), Nigar Sultana’s women’s red team suffered a heavy defeat to the under-15 boys by 87 runs, a result that sparked widespread trolling on social media.
Despite a promising start, failures in the middle order saw the women’s team bowled out for just 94 in response to the juniors’ 181 for 8. The defeat brought renewed attention to long-standing concerns about the team’s batting performance, but it was the tone of the online reaction that drew criticism from experienced all-rounder Rumana Ahmed.
On Thursday, Rumana addressed the trolling on her verified Facebook page: “Yesterday, the women’s red team lost to the under-15 national team. Yes, the defeat is painful. But what is even more painful is people’s reaction. Many assumed this was against the main national side, while others troll as if these girls are not from Bangladesh, but some foreign team.”
She added: “Listening to them, it feels like there is no respect, empathy, or accountability for women cricketers. Those trolling for fun—have they ever cared about women’s cricket? Have they thought about the constitution, infrastructure, or preparation? They never talk about the contributions or struggles of women cricketers, yet a few days ago, they even trolled a captain for expressing emotions. Is this who we are? Is this our humanity?”
Rumana concluded with a message to critics: “We forget that these girls are our own daughters and sisters. Representing the country, they work hard under sun and rain. Is it fair to dismiss all of that over a single loss? Criticism should be constructive, support should come from the heart. Trolling, belittling, or intimidating will never bring improvement. Learn to give respect, and respect the game as well.”