Spin-heavy Bangladesh bank on experienced core to survive stiff group

This will be Bangladesh's seventh appearance at the Women's T20 World Cup, having first competed in 2014. They arrived in England after earning their spot in the qualification: they went unbeaten through the group and Super Six stages of the Global Qualifier in Nepal earlier this year. Nigar Sultana leads the side for the third consecutive T20 World Cup, heading a squad built on spin, experience, and a core group that has grown up together across a decade of international cricket.

Squad

Nigar Sultana Joty (c, wk), Nahida Akter (vc), Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Marufa Akter, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Sultana Khatun, Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Taj Nehar.

Best XI

Dilara Akter (wk), Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Sultana Khatun.

Players to keep an eye on

Marufa Akter is expected to be the X-factor in English conditions, and Bangladesh would be looking forward to her pace making its presence felt in the tournament.

Shorna Akter is expected to be one of the major contributors considering she is has the ability to turn a game around with ball and bat. She took the second-most wickets for Bangladesh (8) in the Global Qualifier.

Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty carries her form from the recent tri-series, where she top-scored (190 runs at 63.33).

What's in the news

The pre-tournament tri-series in Edinburgh did not go down smoothly as they lost their first two fixtures against Scotland and Netherlands respectively, but came back strongly to win their last two games.

Off the field, reports of dressing-room tensions hogged headlines for quite some time, which forced Nigar Sultana to clear the air against allegations that suggested she is a "dictator" in the dressing room.

Where they finished in 2024

Group stage:Four games, one win, three losses. The sole win over Scotland ended a decade-long losing streak at T20 World Cups, Bangladesh's first tournament victory away from home.

How have they performed since then

Since the 2024 World Cup, Bangladesh's T20I record has been patchy at best. Ireland swept them 3-0 in the T20Is at home in November 2024, and West Indies did the same in the Caribbean in January 2025. The unbeaten run through seven Qualifier matches in Nepal was the high point of the cycle, but Sri Lanka then came to Bangladesh and won the T20I series 3-0 just weeks before the World Cup.

The big game

Pakistan on June 22 at The Oval. Bangladesh's Group 1 also features Australia, India, and South Africa, these three games they are highly unlikely to win, which makes the Pakistan fixture effectively a must-win. Bangladesh beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025, showing they can do it at ICC events. Lose this one and any path for progressing through closes.

A record in sight

Nigar Sultana is Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup history with 456 runs in 20 innings at a strike rate of 86.36. With five group games ahead, she has every chance of becoming the first Bangladesh woman to cross 500 runs in the tournament - a milestone that would cap an extraordinary decade as captain, batter and keeper for this team.

Realistic expectation

Two wins against the Netherlands and Pakistan, and an honourable group-stage exit; Bangladesh have managed just three tournament wins across six World Cup appearances since 2014, and while this is their most experienced squad yet, Group 1 is simply too steep a mountain for a semi-final push to be realistic.

League stage schedule: