Bangladesh women鈥檚 team coach Sarwar Imran believes that despite not having an ideal preparation for the forthcoming World Cup, they have a good chance of winning against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The team is scheduled to leave for Colombo today to take part in the tournament scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka and India from September 30 to November 2.
鈥極ur goal is to play match by match and perform well. We have good chances in two matches鈥攁gainst Pakistan and Sri Lanka,鈥� said Sarwar during a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday.听
鈥楤esides, we are not overestimating any team. We will give 100 per cent and play every match to win. Playing these two matches first is important. We are preparing to give our best performance in these games and then take on stronger sides with the same competitive mindset,鈥� he added.听
The eight participating teams will play each other in the group stage before the top four advance to the semi-finals.听
鈥楾eams like Australia or a couple of others鈥攚e don鈥檛 see them far above us. We will approach all matches with the same mindset. In the last World Cup, we beat Pakistan. This time, we are aiming to win even more matches,鈥� said Sarwar.听
However, the preparation for the marquee event has been far from ideal for the Nigar Sultana Joty-led team, as they haven鈥檛 played any international matches since the qualifier in April.听
Joty admitted that the preparation was not ideal but stated that they made the maximum effort.听
She said, 鈥楢ll the camps we have attended so far provided every opportunity. Effort has definitely been made. Whatever we didn鈥檛 get, I鈥檓 not worrying about that. With the preparation we鈥檝e had, I feel the players have tried to give their best.鈥�
They had played in a challenge cup, splitting the players into two teams with the Under-15 national boys team.听
However, their performances against the boys weren鈥檛 up to the mark. But Joty believes that on better wickets they have better chances of putting on a good show.听
鈥業n the last qualifiers in Pakistan, ODI averages were around 180, but we regularly scored over 200. Our bowlers are strong, so good wickets provide both challenge and opportunity,鈥� she said.听
Sarwar, on the other hand, said that the matches against the boys鈥� team were an eye-opener for them.
鈥榃e played several matches at the BKSP, losing four with one tie. Later, in Sylhet, we won the first match and narrowly lost the second, chasing 246 and scoring 221. Day by day, we鈥檝e improved,鈥� he said.听
鈥楩acing competitive teams, including the U-15 boys, helped identify gaps and areas to strengthen. Consistent exposure is essential to understand the international standard,鈥� he added.听
Joty, who is set to lead the team in the World Cup for a second time. But the 28-year-old revealed that she was intending to take a break after the tournament.听
鈥業鈥檝e been playing continuously for nearly six months. Now it鈥檚 important to manage workload wisely, so I can stay available and perform well in future international series. Our primary duty is to the national team, and if I cannot stay fit, it would hurt the team,鈥� she explained her decision.
However, it was learnt that her break would not include international cricket, as she would eventually miss the Women鈥檚 NCL T20 scheduled in November.
Bangladesh begin their World Cup campaign on October 2 in Colombo against Pakistan before playing two warm-ups against South Africa and Sri Lanka on September 25 and 27, respectively.听
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