Bangladesh’s women’s team travelled to Australia for their first bilateral ODI series in the country last October, but the historic tour began without a customary media briefing or press conference before departure. It was another indication of the growing distance between the women’s team and the media.
That distance became more apparent following Nahida Akter’s appointment as T20I captain, replacing Nigar Sultana Joty. Despite the change in leadership after a considerable period, the new captain remained unavailable for media interviews.
When approached for an interview shortly after her appointment, Nahida initially appeared receptive but made it clear that the decision would require approval from women’s wing in-charge Bulbul Bashar.
Bashar subsequently indicated that a joint media session could be arranged, citing several requests for interviews with the new captain. However, the proposed interaction never materialised.
The lack of communication has continued. Bangladesh’s women recently left for the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy in the UAE, travelling via Oman, without any media interaction or press conference before their departure. The only glimpse of the team’s departure came through photographs posted on the BCB’s official Facebook page.
Attempts to obtain an explanation from women’s wing chairman Rafiqul Islam Babu were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls.
The strained relationship between the women’s team and the media can be traced back to Joty’s resignation as T20I captain. Speculation surrounding her future in the leadership group, followed by head coach Sarwar Imran’s public criticism of women’s wing officials during the Asian Games, brought tensions within the setup into the open.
Since then, media access to the team has become increasingly limited, with neither players nor team officials regularly engaging with journalists.
The situation raises questions about the reasoning behind the restrictions and whether keeping the team away from the media is part of a deliberate policy or simply an administrative decision. Despite repeated requests for interaction, no clear explanation has emerged from the women’s wing.
Meanwhile, the Tigresses began their Emerging Nations Trophy campaign with a disappointing defeat to Pakistan on Thursday, as the opposition chased down a target of 108 with 25 balls and eight wickets to spare in Ajman.
Bangladesh’s batting woes, which have persisted since the last Asia Cup, continued to haunt them. Former captain Joty top-scored with 27 off 20 balls, while Shorna Akter remained unbeaten on 21, but the rest of the batting order failed to put up a competitive total.
Pakistan made light work of the chase, with Sadaf Shams scoring 37 off 37 balls before being caught by Disha Biswas off Shorna’s bowling. Captain Muneeba Ali remained unbeaten on 31, while Ayesha Zafar provided a brisk contribution of 27 off 18 balls to seal the victory.
