We want better preparation before World Cup: Joty

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty welcomed the Tigresses’ unbeaten 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 on Sunday 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. She called for international fixtures or even a franchise-based T20 competition to help the team maintain momentum and sharpen their game. 

“Now our goal is how we can perform better at the T20 World Cup. Preparation will be extremely important,” Joty said in a video message released after Sunday’s match. 

“We would like to play some international matches before the World Cup because in previous tournaments we were not able to prepare properly.” 

The Bangladesh skipper made it clear that mere participation would not be enough at the World Cup. 

“We don’t want to go there just to participate. We want to win matches and give our country an impactful T20 World Cup,” she said. 

Joty also underlined the importance of competitive cricket in the lead-up to the tournament. 

“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.  

With no international series arranged by the Bangladesh Cricket Board during that period, the team eventually prepared by playing matches against age-level boys’ teams, a decision that drew widespread criticism. 

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. 

Reflecting on the qualifiers campaign, Joty praised the team’s collective performance and consistency. 

“There has always been a lot of talk about our batters not being consistent, but in this tournament they really dominated,” she said. 

“The bowlers contributed alongside them, and as a team we were much more consistent. We played dominant cricket.”

She added that while qualification was the primary objective, the team had set higher standards for themselves. 

“Our plan before coming here was first to make sure we qualified. But in the back of our minds we also wanted to win the tournament and stay unbeaten. Alhamdulillah, we were able to do that.” 

“All the credit goes to the girls,” Joty said. “They played exceptionally well throughout the tournament. Everyone tried to play their role, and that is why we were able to perform like this.”