Friends become foes in Bangladesh-Pakistan CWC25 showdown

By Daniel Beswick in Colombo

Few can comprehend the rollercoaster of emotions Bangladesh’s players went on at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier back on April 19.

Defeated and deflated after falling to Pakistan on the tournament’s final day, a forlorn group had all but given up hopes of qualification, of the opinion the West Indies would saunter to claim the final spot on Net Run Rate in the evening fixture against Thailand.

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Several members of the Bangladesh group couldn’t bear to watch. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty was so dejected she hid away from the rest of the playing group.

With no eyes on the other match, Nigar was oblivious to the West Indies’s chase which had fallen inches short of overtaking Bangladesh in a top two spot.

Unaware of her team’s qualification, Nigar received a call delivering the good news. The caller? The skipper who defeated her earlier in the day, and her opposite number for her side’s upcoming World Cup opener: Fatima Sana.

“I was walking around the balcony at the hotel because I knew there were a lot of things I could have done for the team that I didn’t do,” Nigar told Crystal Arnold in an ICC Digital exclusive.

“I was in good touch (at the Qualifier) but I didn’t make runs in the Pakistan game.”

“Depending on others (to qualify), I could not watch the (West Indies) match.”

“I got the first call from Fatima Sana and a few players that were there (in the Pakistan room).”

“I was like ‘Really?’ (to double check), and they said ‘Yes you guys qualified!’

“I went out from my room and everyone (in the Bangladesh squad) was running towards me and hugging, laughing. It was a beautiful moment.”

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From time in the same dressing room at the 2023 FairBreak Invitational, the pair have shared tips to build their respective games, though Nigar says their bond now goes well beyond the cricket field.

“We are very much buddies,” Nigar continues, speaking of Fatima

“Whenever we get to play together we talk too much and have so much fun.

“The vibe actually matched up, hers and mine."

Fatima, the younger of the two, sent the love right back.

“We have a lot of rivalry matches, but she’s my good friend, we have a good connection off the field,” Pakistan’s captain responded, also to Crystal Arnold ahead of the tournament.

“Because I was one of the younger ones (at FairBreak), she would always sit with me and eat food, go outside together. We had a really good time. She’s my good friend.”

“A lot of the time she asks about batting because she’s a batter and I want to become a good all-rounder, so she gives me a lot of tips.

“She gives me confidence in my batting.”

Come Thursday the pair will put niceties to one side, under no illusions that they both need a win in Colombo to have realistic hopes of reaching the semi-finals come the end of the group stage.

Nigar is ready for battle, more than aware of her opposite number’s threat.

“See, when I get over the line, I think I don’t know who Fatima Sana is, because she’s trying to get me out,” the Bangladesh captain continued.

“Whenever I play against her I don’t feel like she’s my friend, she’s my opponent, but we have fun after we finish the game.”

Fatima enjoyed a personal win of sorts by taking Nigar’s World Cup wicket in 2022, though it was Bangladesh who came out the stronger in an affair that came down to the final over in Hamilton.

Sana played under Bismah Maroof at that tournament, though the young all-rounder's toil and poise on the field has meant an ascension to the captaincy, remarkably before her 23rd birthday.

Ahead of her side's tournament opener, Fatima aims to match her former skipper's composure into the first match of the 2025 edition.

“She (Bismah Maroof) was the best (to play under)," Fatima said in the pre-match press conference.

“I learned a lot, especially calmness in the 50-over format because 50 overs demands discipline and calmness especially, there are a lot of high-pressure matches, so we want to be calm at all times.

“I think Pakistan conditions and Sri Lanka conditions are similar.

“Our campaign was great in the Qualifier and we hope to carry on this and I know these matches will have pressure situations, but hopefully we try to be calm."

Bangladesh’s loss at the 2025 Qualifier was just their second against Pakistan in the format in the last four years, with the other back in November 2023 in Mirpir in a series they won 2-1.

And while confident of doing the job again, just like the last World Cup, Nigar has kept a close eye on her opposite number’s progress, having taken the captaincy before her 23rd birthday.

“She’s very young and she’s learning and will do better in the future, definitely,” Nigar continued.

“But how she’s doing, and how they’ve kept the team in a line and how they performed in the Qualifier, shows they are aligned.”

Tickets are available for the first ball on October 2 at 3pm local time.

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