Bangladesh women’s cricket team skipper Nigar Sultana Joty said on Monday that they are eyeing a place in the Asia Cup final as reaching the knockout stage is no longer enough for them.
Bangladesh, who will depart on August 26 for the Asia Cup, are currently preparing for the tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Dubai from August 28, with Bangladesh placed in Group B alongside defending champions Sri Lanka, the UAE and Indonesia.
Bangladesh have repeatedly made it to the semi-finals without managing to go one step further, and according to their skipper, they are eyeing to break the jinx in the UAE.
“Our main target this time is to play in the final. We have played in the semi-finals before and then been knocked out. The same thing has happened repeatedly, so we want to break that barrier this time,” Joty said after an official photo session on Monday.
“The group-stage matches are very important because if we can become group champions, we will not have to face India in the semi-final. The situation becomes much tougher when we face India in the semi-finals,” she said.
“Our preparation has been very good because we have played quite a few practice matches this time. Since all the games will be played in Sri Lanka, we also played two practice matches there. Preparation-wise, I think it has been very good,” she added.
Bangladesh will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Indonesia on August 31 before facing Sri Lanka on September 6 and the UAE on September 8.
Joty feels that a strong performance in the Asia Cup could help them build momentum for the Asian Games in Japan.
“If we can play the Asia Cup in a better way, it will also create a big opportunity for us in the Asian Games,” said Joty.
“If you talk about the Asian Games, our first target is to go there and win a medal,” she said.
“There are a lot of expectations from our team. We want to bring home a medal, and if it is gold, that would be even bigger. We will certainly try to do that,” she said.
“First comes the Asia Cup, so if we can perform better there, that will definitely have a reflection on the Asian Games. If we can adapt to the conditions and play better cricket, we will have a good chance of doing well in both tournaments,” she concluded.
At the Asian Games, Bangladesh will face China in the first quarter-final on September 17. The Asian Games will begin in September, with the women’s cricket competition to be played in the T20 format at Korogi Sports Park in Aichi.
Bangladesh won silver in the women’s cricket competition at the 2010 Asian Games before claiming bronze at the 2022 edition.
Leave a Reply