Preview: Bangladesh must forget about their first-ever ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup win as they go in search of a second straight victory against the West Indies, according to captain Nigar Sultana.
A nine-run win over Pakistan handed the Tigresses a first victory on their tournament debut, but all their attention is now on defeating one of the surprise packages of the 2022 edition.
The West Indies raced out of the blocks with wins over New Zealand and England but heavy defeats to India and Australia have left their qualification hopes in the balance.
Nigar said: “Obviously it was a fantastic match, it was a great pleasure to get our first World Cup win and actually we want to forget about that because we want to move forward.
“We want to take all the positives from the last match and we want to implement it in the next match.
“I think it was an exciting match for all of us because it was our first win in the World Cup, and obviously back home there was a lot of support for us.
“They were waiting for this victory and they all are super excited and they always keep faith in us every time.
“A lot of people messaged us, saying that we are doing well and just need a little momentum and if you get this momentum it will go through the tournament.”
While the West Indies have put in some unexpected displays, Nigar is hoping Bangladesh can use their own element of surprise.
The two sides will meet for the first time in a One Day International and Nigar’s women are hoping they will produce a performance that the Windies are not prepared for.
“I think this is a good thing, I guess because they don't know us and we don't even know them,” she said.
“So, this is going to be advantageous because they don't know how we play. We are focusing on our strengths, and we are going to plan according to that.”
While Bangladesh are putting their first win out of their minds, the Maroon Warriors will be calling on their memories of their opening three-run victory over hosts New Zealand at the same venue in Tauranga.
The West Indies achieved their aim of winning two out of their first four matches but will hope to end the group stage with a perfect trio of games, starting with a return to the Bay Oval on Friday.
Shamilia Connell said: “It was our first win at the World Cup in the tournament, so we are in familiar conditions and the girls are feeling energetic because we won our first game here and we are looking to do that tomorrow.
“We know we've lost two games, but we have to put that behind us. We're just going to go out there and give our best.
“What's gone is gone and we just have to look to just bring our A-game in these next three games as we look to qualify for the semi-finals.”
Fast bowler Connell admitted they will be facing a Bangladesh side full of confidence after their win over Pakistan.
“We can see that they're very competitive. We're just going to go there and give our best and we are not going to underestimate them,” she added.
“We're just going to go out there and play our game. They put up some very good scores and they beat Pakistan and Pakistan were one of the teams that were looking to give them a challenge, but we're just going to go and play our A-game.”
With inputs from ICC
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