Bangladesh Women Aim for World Cup Spot Against West Indies

DHAKA, April 17, 2025 (BSS)— The Bangladesh women’s cricket team will face the West Indies today in a critical qualifier for the ICC Women’s World Cup at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. With three consecutive wins, Bangladesh is in a strong position to secure a World Cup berth with a victory.

The Tigresses have demonstrated excellent form throughout the tournament, outclassing Thailand by 178 runs, edging Ireland by two wickets, and defeating Scotland by 34 runs. In contrast, the West Indies have struggled, winning only one of their three matches so far.

In their last outing, Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana Joty played a standout role, scoring 83 runs and helping her team post their highest total of 276 runs for six wickets against Scotland. Each of Joty’s innings has solidified her status as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 235 runs.

“We plan to go match by match. Yes, we’re looking forward to the game, but we play as a team,” said Joty after their win over Scotland. “The way we’ve played in the last few games, we just want to continue that,” she added, emphasizing the need for teamwork.

Bangladesh’s batting unit, previously perceived as a weakness, has improved significantly in the qualifiers. The team has posted two of their highest totals in ODIs, demonstrating a more robust performance in run-scoring compared to previous tournaments.

Although a win would assure their spot in the World Cup, even a loss today may not eliminate their chances. The Tigresses could still qualify by defeating hosts Pakistan, the other unbeaten team, in their final group match on April 19. Currently, Bangladesh leads the group with six points and the best net run rate of 1.494.

In a historic matchup against the West Indies, Bangladesh has only won once in four previous encounters. Their sole victory came earlier this year when they beat the Caribbean side by 60 runs in St Kitts, a crucial match in their journey towards World Cup qualification.

Joty and her team are determined to make history again today. “Batting had been our most visible weakness over the past few years. But in this tournament, our batters have played wonderfully,” Joty reflected. “Hopefully we’ll be able to continue it.”