ZCZC
BSP-19
CRICKET-BD-SA-WOMEN’S-T20- PREVIEW
Tigresses face SA in Women’s World T20 tomorrow
DHAKA, Nov 18, 2018 (BSS)- Bangladesh women’s cricket team aim to restore
some lost pride as they face South Africa in their group A last encounter of
the Women’s World T20I scheduled to be held tomorrow (Monday) at the Daren
Sammy National Cricket Stadium at Gros Islet, St Lucia.
Bangladesh, one of the two teams (Bangladesh, Ireland), that had to take
the qualifier route to the World T20. Therefore, losing to the West Indies,
England and Sri Lanka was not totally unexpected.
But these are the same players who recently beat India twice to win the
Asia Cup. Keeping that in mind, it’s a bit disappointing. It’s a team with a
bunch of excellent spinners, who were expected to do well in favourable
condition in the West Indies. They didn’t do badly, nor did medium pacer
Jahanara Alam but the batting just failed to click.
“Don’t lose hope on us, please keep faith on us,” Alam said almost
directly addressing the team’s fans after the loss to Sri Lanka. The team has
come up in leaps and bounds, but to build on the progress, the team’s batters
must do better than they have so far – 46 against the Windies, 76/9 against
England and 72 against Sri Lanka.
In their last World T20 game, they come up against an opposition that’s on
the same side of the fence – South Africa have scored 102/3 in 18.3 overs
against Sri Lanka and were bowled out for 76 and 85 by the Windies and
England respectively. It’s another team that has just failed to get going
with the bat.
When it comes to the South Africans, the performance is even more
dispiriting because they are up in the top few teams in the MRF Tyres ICC
Women’s T20I Team Rankings and have in their midst star batters like Lizelle
Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Dane van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez and Chloe Tryon. But
cometh the hour, they have faltered big time.
“We still have another game tomorrow and we need to keep our heads up and
be positive for that one,” said all-rounder Sune Luus in the lead-up to the
game against Bangladesh. That’s really all they can do at the far end of
another campaign that could have gone so differently.
SQUADS:
Bangladesh: Salma Khatun (captain), Ayasha Rahman, Fahima Khatun, Fargana
Hoque Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Khadiza Tul Kubra, Lata Mondol, Nahida Akter,
Nigar Sultana Joty, Panna Ghosh, Ritu Moni, Rumana Ahmed, , Sanjida Islam,
Shamima Sultana and Sharmin Akhter Supta
South Africa: Dane Van Niekerk (c), Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail,
Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Sune Luus, Zintle Mali, Raisibe
Ntozakhe, Robyn Searle, Tumi Sekhukhune, Saarah Smith, Faye Tunnicliffe,
Chloe Tryon and Laura Wolvaardt.
BSS/SG/SSS/1804 hrs