Pakistan, Bangladesh aim for incremental gains in Women's World Cup

Colombo, Oct 1 (PTI) Considered among the weaker teams in fray at the Women's ODI World Cup, Pakistan and Bangladesh will open their tournament campaign here on Thursday with an aim to make incremental gains in the ICC event.

Pakistan, led by Fatima Sana, play all their games in the Sri Lankan capital including the one against India on Sunday.

Both teams made their way into the ODI showpiece via qualification.

Pakistan had topped the qualifying event ahead of second-placed Bangladesh and would look to maintain their superiority over the Nigar Sultana-led side.

In the previous World Cup, both teams finished at the bottom of the table and it would take something special for them to beat their higher-ranked opponents over the next three weeks.

"We have a significant advantage playing here [in Colombo] and executing our skills because we know we will be playing all our matches at the same venue and under the same conditions.

"This familiarity will work in our favour. Yes, definitely, our main goal is to finish in the top four. I believe the conditions in Sri Lanka are similar to those in Pakistan, so we are familiar with the exact conditions," said Pakistan skipper Sana ahead of the competition.

Sultana, on the other hand, said Bangladesh are a much wiser unit compared to their maiden World Cup outing in 2022.

"This is our second ODI World Cup and earlier we were inexperienced and unfamiliar with winning on a big stage. However, since then, we have played a lot of cricket both at home and abroad, and now we know how to win matches in tournament settings. We are eagerly looking forward to this World Cup.

"This is a great opportunity for all of us. We are aware of our responsibility to promote cricket back home, where interest in women's cricket is growing. We believe it is time to give back to our supporters through our performances," said Sultana who was also the captain the last time around.

The players to look out for in the Bangladesh squad are right-arm pacer Nishita Akter Nishi and all-rounder Sumaiya Akter, who featured at the U19 T20 World Cup earlier this year.

The 17-year-old Nishita is the youngest member of the side.

Pakistan would be missing the experience of Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar, who are not a part of the setup anymore. But Sana believes the squad has enough talent to make up for their absence.

"Teammates like Sidra Amin, Diana Baig, Nashra Sundhu, Aliya Riaz, and Muneeba Ali have already been part of past World Cups and bring calmness and experience," she said recently.

"At the same time, youngsters like Eyman Fatima, Shawaal Zulfiqar, and Natalia Parvaiz bring fresh energy and skills that add depth to our team." Squads: ====== Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (vc), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah.

Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter, Farzana Haque, Rubya Haider Jhelik, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Fariha Islam Trisna, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Nishita Akter Nishi, Sumaiya Akter.

Match starts 3pm. PTI BS PM BS PM PM