Birmingham, June 14: Bangladesh has kicked off its Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a resounding victory. The team claimed a 6-wicket win against the Netherlands on Sunday. Captain Nigar Sultana credited her bowlers for the success.
After losing the toss and opting to bat, the Bangladeshi team restricted the Netherlands to 139/8. They successfully chased down the target in just 19.1 overs. Opener Juairia Firdous played a stellar innings, scoring a half-century, while Sharmeen Akhtar (not out 37) and Shorna Akhtar (not out 18) steadied the ship after a brief middle-order wobble to secure the win.
Following the match, Nigar praised the bowling unit, stating, “I think we started our bowling very well. Marufa performed as we expected, and along with all the spinners and bowlers, we executed our plans effectively.”
Marufa Akhtar played a crucial role with the ball, taking key wickets during the Netherlands’ innings. The spinners ensured that despite Dutch captain Babette de Leede’s half-century, the Netherlands could not score quickly.
Nigar expressed satisfaction with her team’s performance, saying, “We achieved exactly what we aimed for in the first innings.”
She also highlighted Firdous’s aggressive play, which gave Bangladesh an early advantage in the chase. Firdous scored a match-winning 50 runs off just 33 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. Nigar commended her, saying, “Juairia played beautifully in the middle and was enjoying her game, with Dilara supporting her well.”
Despite a strong start, Bangladesh lost a few quick wickets. However, Sharmeen and Shorna maintained their composure, forming an unbeaten partnership for the fifth wicket to guide the team to victory. Nigar remarked, “It was a thrilling situation, but I believe Sharmeen held her nerve, and Shorna stood firm. They finished the match, so we are happy.”
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