STAR SPORTS DESK

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty welcomed the Tigresses’ tournament-winning qualifiers campaign but warned that sustained and competitive preparation will be crucial if the team are to make a meaningful impact at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June.

Bangladesh capped off their Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2026 campaign with another commanding performance, registering a seven-wicket win over the Netherlands yesterday in Mulpani.

The victory ensured the Tigresses finished top of the Super Six stage and maintained a flawless record throughout the tournament, winning all seven of their matches -- the only team to remain unbeaten.

While pleased with the outcome, Joty stressed that the focus must now shift quickly to preparations for the main event, which will be held in June in England and Wales. “Preparation will be extremely important. We would like to play some international matches before the World Cup because in previous tournaments we were not able to prepare properly,” Joty said in a video message released after Sunday’s match. “If we can play a good, competitive T20 tournament before the World Cup, whether it is a franchise league or any other event, it will boost the team a lot and help our preparation,” she added.

The call for better preparation comes against the backdrop of last year’s ICC Women’s World Cup, where Bangladesh endured a long gap without competitive cricket. After playing their final qualifier match on April 19, the Tigresses did not return to competitive action until October 2 -- a hiatus of nearly six months.

The lack of match readiness was reflected in the World Cup results, as Bangladesh managed just one win from seven matches and finished second-last in the eight-team tournament, ahead of only Pakistan.