Women’s Asia Cup in Sylhet, Tigresses mission to retain the title begins today
Bangladesh National Women’s Cricket Team has just returned home after winning the T20 World Cup qualifying round in the United Arab Emirates. Salma Khatun-Rumana Ahmed are embarking on a new mission in the Women’s Asia Cup at home. Women’s Asia Cup cricket starts today in Sylhet.
All the matches of this Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournament will be held at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and Sylhet Outer Stadium.
Seven teams are participating in the T20 format tournament. Apart from hosts Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE women’s team will compete for the trophy. The semi-finals will be held after the round robin league and the final on October 15. There will be two matches each day.
Entry to the gallery is kept ‘free’ for tournament spectators. Enjoy Asia’s top women’s cricket teams battle it out without spending a fortune.
So retaining the title in Sylhet will be the main challenge for the hosts. Skipper Nigar Sultana Jyoti, however, has made it clear that her team has its eyes on the trophy. Asia’s supremacy was with Bangladesh and this time they don’t want to let the trophy go out of the country.
Jyoti said in a press conference before the practice session in Sylhet yesterday, ‘Time for a good game but it’s already over now. Since the trophy was ours, we will try to keep the trophy and good cricket but we are playing. It is not that we are not playing good cricket.’
The captain of Bangladesh also said, ‘Of course, if we play good cricket, the trophy will come to our house. All in all the aim is to play good cricket and retain the trophy.’
Bangladesh team will face Thailand in the opening match of the tournament today. The match will start at 9 am. The Tigresses defeated the Thai women by 11 runs in the semi-finals of the World Cup qualifiers in Abu Dhabi on September 23. Bangladesh women’s team wants to start the tournament with a win against Thailand at home today.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team will play against Sri Lanka in the second match of the day at 1:30 PM.