The Bangladesh women’s cricket team is set to depart tomorrow, 23 September, for the Women’s One-Day World Cup. Ahead of their departure, the squad attended a formal photo session on Monday, followed by a press conference with captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti, who candidly addressed the team’s preparation challenges.

Ahead of the World Cup, Bangladesh’s women’s teams—the Red and Green squads—were defeated by the under-15 men’s team. The boys also went on to win the subsequent series. Jyoti acknowledged that these outcomes reflected preparation shortcomings: “Our preparation was perhaps not ideal. We tried to utilise all the resources available in Bangladesh, but there were areas we couldn’t address. Not all national team members played with the under-15 team; several players were brought in from outside. Nevertheless, we couldn’t perform up to the mark,” she admitted.

Jyoti also revealed her post-tournament plans, emphasising the importance of managing workload: “I have been playing continuous cricket for the past six months. It is important to manage workload, so I plan to take a break after the World Cup. Playing for the national team while not fully fit would not be right,” she explained.

She elaborated further: “This break is not from international cricket; I will still participate in the Women’s NCL, but I want someone else to play in my place to maintain my fitness. I plan to stay away from cricket for a few days after returning from the World Cup.”