DHAKA, Sept 9, 2022 (BSS)- The Bangladesh national women's cricket team
vowed to play the T20 World Cup in South Africa by being the champions in the
Qualifiers.

     The ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier starts on September 18 in Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will be played at two venues-Zayed
Cricket Stadium and Tolerance Oval. The Group matches will take place on
September 18, 19, 21 , followed by the playoffs with the final on September
25. The top two teams will qualify for the main event to be held in South
Africa in February-March 2023.

     Bangladesh women's team has been regularly participating in T20 World
Cup since 2014. But they have only one win in 16 matches in the main event
and the victory came when they beat Sri Lanka by three runs. However, in the
qualifiers, Bangladesh was the champion in 2016 and 2020, and became runner-
up in 2018.

     Bangladesh wants to maintain this level of consistency in this
qualifying round as well.

     "Our first goal is to qualify. Of course we want to be champions (in the
qualifiers). If we can play as a team and the players can do their job
properly, then we can qualify," captain Nigar Sultana Joty said here today.

     The unity is the great strength of this team, said captain Joty.

     "We have been playing together for a long time. So everyone knows about
everyone's game and we have faith in ourselves. This unity makes us
confident." Women cricketers have left the country today (Thursday) to cope
with the conditions in the UAE. There will be a camp till September 12.

     The captain said that this camp will help the women cricketers of
Bangladesh a lot.

     "We have never played in the UAE before. The condition there is not like
Bangladesh. So it will be difficult to adapt. That's why we are going there
early. This camp will be very beneficial for us," she added.

     Bangladesh are drawn in Group 'A' along with Ireland, Scotland and USA.
Group 'B' consists of Thailand, Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea and United Arab
Emirates. Bangladesh's first opponent is Ireland and the match will be on
September 18. The very next day, Bangladesh will enter the field against
Scotland. On September 21, Bangladesh will take on USA.

     Bangladesh team: Nigar Sultana Joty (captain and wk), Sharmin Akhtar
Supta, Shamima Sultana, Fargana Haque Pinki, Rumana Ahmed, Ritu Moni, Lata
Mandal, Salma Khatun, Sobhana Mostari, Nahida Akhtar, Murshida Khatun,
Jahanara Alam, Fahima Khatun, Sanjida Akhtar Meghla and Marufa Akhtar.