Bangladesh’s Joty Sees Hope in ODI Losses to Australia

Bangladesh's captain Nigar Sultana Joty has chosen to emphasise the positive aspects from her team’s recent tour of Australia, despite concluding the series with a 3-0 defeat. The final match on 14 October resulted in an eight-wicket loss for Bangladesh at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, where they were bowled out for 172 runs in 49.5 overs.

Half-centuries from batters Sharmin Akhter and Shorna Akter provided some resistance, but Australia swiftly chased down the target, finishing at 175 for 2 in just 22.4 overs. While the results did not favour Bangladesh, the series yielded several milestones and promising displays for Joty’s squad.

The second ODI was particularly significant, as Sobhana Mostary achieved a record-breaking individual score of 118, marking the highest by a Bangladeshi batter in Women’s One-Day Internationals (ODIs). She also became the first player from Bangladesh to score a century against Australia, helping her team recover from early setbacks. This partnership with Joty, which totalled 195 runs, set a record for the highest partnership for Bangladesh in Women’s ODIs.

Reflecting on the tour, Joty noted the contributions from various team members, stating, "Each and every game, one of the players came up for the team, and we have taken a lot of positives from here and will implement them in future matches. We will take many learnings from this series.”

The tour also offered international exposure to young pace bowlers, with Habiba Islam and Disha Biswas making their ODI debuts. Habiba excelled in the first match, recording Bangladesh’s best bowling figures by taking 2 wickets for 36 runs. Disha also had a notable debut, claiming the important wicket of Beth Mooney in the series finale. Joty expressed satisfaction with how the newcomers handled the pressure of competing at this level, saying, "We have seen a few young players do well. It was challenging for them, but they gave their 100 percent in the middle.”

As they move forward, these experiences will be crucial for Bangladesh as they look to enhance their standing in the ICC Women’s Championship. Currently, they find themselves in eighth position in the rankings, having secured only one win from six matches. They will seek to gather valuable points during their upcoming tour of New Zealand, which is set to begin on 18 December.