Nigar: Long wait for win is over for Bangladesh at T20 World Cup

Media release

Captain Nigar Sultana was beaming as she guided her side to their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup win outside of Bangladesh.

Ten years after their last World Cup win, Bangladesh defeated newcomers Scotland by 16 runs as the 2024 edition of the tournament got underway in Sharjah.

Ritu Moni was named Player of the Match as her disciplined bowling restricted Scotland after Sobhana Mostary had top-scored with 36 to help her side to 119 for seven.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Nigar said. “Almost 10 years, so we came here and got in the mindset of ‘this is the time, this is the moment where we will get our first win’.

"It means a lot for us, not only for us, but the wider team and the girls who have been waiting for us to do well here.

“This is the kind of wicket you need to be settled on but early on, it was not very easy to bat and I think Shathi [Rani] and Sobhana hung in there and tried to build a partnership which was very crucial for us.

“Then there was a few back-to-back wickets but the circumstances were out of our hands.

“It was pretty hot, and we may have run too much. But even on a new wicket, we had a good total and we kept believing in ourselves that with this kind of wicket.

“We have a very good spin attack, Marufa [Akter] did very well so we were very confident about it.”

Shathi Rani began with intent making 29 at the top of the order as she faced Scotland’s first over at a World Cup, which was delivered by Rachel Slater.

Kathryn Bryce got her side’s first wicket before Shathi and Sobhana put on 42 for the second wicket.

Nigar came in lower down the order than expected at five but stuck around to make 18, departing from the penultimate ball of the over as Saskia Horley claimed best figures of three for 13.

Horley was straight back out to open the batting, making eight before the Bryce sisters looked to add some much-needed impetus to the run chase.

However, while Sarah carried her bat, Kathryn departed for only 11.

Priyanaz Chatterji was run out for just five as she failed to hear Sarah Bryce’s call with the latter surviving several scares on her way to 49 not out.

Darcey Carter was acrobatically caught on the boundary by Fahima Khatun, who danced in celebration, and there were more smiles as Nahida Akter became Bangladesh’s first woman to take 100 T20I wickets

She took the seventh and final dismissal as Scotland fell short in their chase of a maiden win.

Reflecting on their first game, Bryce said: “It is always going to be tough that first game, getting over the nerves and getting out in that first fixture.

“We have played some brilliant cricket in the past few months so hopefully more of that will come out in the next few weeks.

“I think there were little bits in the field that were a little bit sloppy, a couple of misfields and overthrows. In a tight game where it is pretty tricky to find a boundary, those are the things that can cost you in the end.”

ENDS