SAMSUL AREFIN KHAN

Bangladesh’s tune-up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is not going according to plan after consecutive defeats to Scotland and the Netherlands in the ongoing tri-nation series in Edinburgh, raising serious concerns about their prospects with Australia, South Africa and India awaiting in the group stage.

Before arriving in Scotland, the Tigresses held a 7-0 record against Scotland across white-ball formats and had won all three previous T20Is against the Netherlands. Yet, within less than 24 hours, those unbeaten records were wiped out by back-to-back defeats.

Bangladesh’s ability to consistently post big totals, chase 150-plus targets have long been far from convincing. Continuing the trend, they managed only 133 for five against Scotland and then fell eight runs short of a 163-run chase.

In both matches, skipper Nigar Sultana Joty stood out with scores of 46 not out off 39 balls and 77 off 51 deliveries. However, the rest of the batting unit failed to make significant contributions, while the bowlers are still adapting to the conditions and wickets.

Although batting coach Nasiruddin Faruque refused to press the panic button too early, he admitted the defeats served as a “very good learning outcome, or an eye-opener”.

“Ultimately, the opening stand is vital because handling the new ball is key, since pace bowlers do not get as much help later. You have to balance understanding the conditions with the need to score runs,” Faruque told The Daily Star on Monday, stressing the importance of making better starts in the powerplay.

“Dealing with the new ball is crucial in these swinging conditions. They are trying [to score big in Powerplay], but while we scored 27 or 28 in the first match, we reached 36 yesterday [Sunday]. If that goes up to 45 or 50, those extra 15 runs would help the middle order.”

He also pointed to the strong winds and low temperatures at the Grange Cricket Club Ground in Edinburgh as significant factors in both matches.

“The wind is a factor in the open field where the matches are taking place. However, during the World Cup, the stadium might block it more. It is important for the players to realise this. Death-over bowling and the powerplay are the most critical phases here. We need to minimise boundaries while bowling and maximise it while batting.”

Joty and teammates will have the opportunity to rectify their mistakes soon, as they face Scotland on Tuesday before concluding the tournament against the Netherlands on June 4.

With less than two weeks left before their World Cup opener against the Netherlands on June 14 in Birmingham, the Tigresses know they have little time left to address their shortcomings.