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Batting continues to remain a big concern for the Bangladesh women’s cricket team in the forthcoming T20 World Cup, as they lost heavily to the Asian champions Sri Lanka in their first official warm-up match on Saturday in Dubai. 

Chasing 144 runs, Bangladesh could only manage to put 110-9 despite playing as many as eight batters. Eight of them were dismissed by spinners. 

Top order, the main concern for Bangladesh, failed again as they lost three wickets within 35 runs. Dilara Akter, Sathi Rani, and Murshida Khatun — the top three collectively could add only 20 runs between them off 37 deliveries. That is a collective strike rate of only 54.05. 

Since the last World Cup, Bangladesh women have had the lowest collective batting average (14.54) and strike rate (84.46) among the 10 teams playing in this edition. 

Before leaving the country, captain Nigar Sultana Joty too admitted that it’d be one of the main concerns in the World Cup.

She also expressed her hope, ‘I think if we can change our mentality, if we don’t think too much that we will be playing in the biggest stages of all and we play to our capacity, then the batters won’t suffer much.’

But in the first warm-up, it was up to Joty again to pull up the team after they discovered themselves in a gutter.

She remained unbeaten after coming to bat at the start of the 10th over after Bangladesh became 39-4. 

Joty, though, would be hopeful with the performances of the two uncapped batters, Taj Nehar and Disha Bishwas. 

Nehar could only score 16 off 14, but there were glimpses that she could play big shots. It is her that particular ability that the team management seemed excited about. 

Another one is the young all-rounder and the former captain of U-19 team Disha. Despite having a horrid day with the ball (0-25 from 1.2), she played an innings of 25 from 16 with four fours at number 10.

If she plays in the main tournament, it is almost certain that she will bat in a higher position. 

Bangladesh will play their second warm-up against Pakistan today in Dubai. 

They will begin their main tournament with the match against Scotland on October 3.

Slotted in Group B, Bangladesh will also face England (October 5, Sharjah), the West Indies (October 10, Sharjah), and South Africa (October 12, Dubai) in Group B. 

Bangladesh have yet to register a victory in the Women’s T20 World Cup since 2016.