Bangladesh will face a formidable challenge on Thursday when they take on defending champions Australia in their fifth match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Visakhapatnam, India. The match is scheduled to start at 3:30pm Bangladesh time and will be broadcast live on T Sports.
Bangladesh began their campaign with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Pakistan but have since slipped to three straight defeats. While their 100-run loss to New Zealand was a one-sided affair, they pushed both England and South Africa close, only to be denied by errors in strategy and ill-timed misfortune.
Australia, meanwhile, remain the most decorated side in the tournament’s history, having lifted the title seven times in 12 editions. They lead the current standings with seven points from four matches, and might have had eight had their clash with Sri Lanka not been abandoned due to rain.
The Australians arrive in confident mood after pulling off the highest successful chase in women’s international cricket, hunting down 330 to beat India in their last outing.
Despite the gulf in pedigree, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty believes her side are capable of putting up resistance.
“We talked about putting it on the right length, maybe we fell down, but we showed good spirit against England and South Africa,” Joty said. “My team was very young but we kept going. I have told them to be proud of how we have done and we have three more games left. The way we played we hope we will be able to give them a tough time in the middle.”
Defeat would all but extinguish Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals, reducing their prospects to a matter of improbable mathematics. Victory, however unlikely on paper, would at least keep faint hopes alive.
Australia vice-captain Annabel Sutherland said her side had prepared thoroughly, drawing on a recent series against Bangladesh.
“I think we had a really good series against them a little over a year ago, which gave us some excellent insight. They are coming out with a pretty similar team in this World Cup, so we have got some good intel and can also review the games so far,” she said.
She pointed out the threat posed by young batter Shorna Akter, who impressed with her aggressive knock against South Africa.
“She definitely took the game on, which was against the grain a little compared to the rest of the innings. We have certainly looked at her and come up with some plans,” Sutherland said.
Although her team are unbeaten and sit atop the table while Bangladesh have just one win, Sutherland insisted that complacency was not an option.
“We do not take anyone lightly. We have prepped really well, and we have a good training session tonight ahead of tomorrow. Everyone is ready to go,” she added.
Bangladesh batter Sobhana Mostary echoed the optimism from within the camp during a separate media briefing.
“We have experience playing against them before. We will work on our strengths and we are also working on the areas where we are lacking,” she said.
She also praised the positive environment maintained by senior players and staff.
“Our captain and team management have encouraged us, saying that we have tried our best in every match until the last ball. We go on the field to fight, to win. We never just go out to play nicely. We must win, and we will win. After that, it depends on how we play and what we want to do on the field.”
Reflecting on the squad’s journey, she said young players were learning not to overthink and instead rely on their instincts.
“If you look at the last four years, it is basically the same team we have played with. Young players do not overthink things; they try to give their best. They just play using their strengths,” Sobhana said.
She noted that the dressing room remained upbeat even after recent losses and stressed the importance of taking the positives into their remaining fixtures.
“After yesterday’s match, there was no negative talk. Everyone—senior players, juniors, management—spoke about positive things: our batting, the last ten overs in batting, our bowling. Everyone discussed our positives. So maybe we receive it positively and think positively. This will help us in the next matches against Australia, India and also Sri Lanka,” she added.
