Tigresses play their first ever Women’s CWC match today

The Tigresses of Bangladesh will be appearing in ICC Women's World Cup for the first ever time, and will be banking on their recent form to take them far in the tournament.

Between November and January, Bangladesh took part in two qualifying tournaments, which amounted to all the cricket they have played since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bangladesh missed out on a Commonwealth Games spot after Sri Lanka beat them in the deciding match in Kuala Lumpur in January. Still, for a team that has played very little cricket in the last two years, it will be counted as crucial match practice ahead of the World Cup. Bangladesh are among three teams who qualified to the World Cup on the back of their ODI rankings following the cancellation of the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, last November. Under new captain Nigar Sultana, they had already played three of their four matches, losing only to Thailand in a game affected by bad light. Bangladesh have a bit of form to work with, in New Zealand. Left-handed batter Murshida Khatun made 126 runs and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter took ten wickets in the Commonwealth Games qualifiers. Nigar is also in form, while Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akhter both made runs in the World Cup qualifiers, with the latter hitting a century. A slight worry is Jahanara Alam's form, but the seamer comes with vast international experience and can be expected to perform when it counts the most. Bangladesh won three out of their four matches in the Commonwealth Games qualifier, as well as two out of the three matches they played in the World Cup qualifiers.

All things considered, they are still a work in progress. Bangladesh have a blend of young and experienced players, but even after 14 years of playing at the highest level, the buck stops with Salma Khatun. The offspinner who bats usefully lower down the order, Salma is Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in T20Is, and among the top three in ODIs. "We have never played ODIs against England, Australia and New Zealand, so it will be a new experience for us. We follow them on TV and Internet, because we knew that one day we would have to face them. Our analyst is also helping us to understand their game." Skipper Nigar Sultana said. Looking back to 1999 when Bangladesh's men's cricket team stunned all in their inaugural World Cup, with wins over Scotland and cricketing powerhouse Pakistan, it had instilled a great amount of belief in the following generations of players. Now, arguably, a similar opportunity lies in front of the Tigresses. Even a few acts of bravery from the Tigresses' ranks, like Sharmin Akhter's fighting 81-run knock against defending champions England in the warm-up, could help lift the spirit of the nation in the upcoming days.