'A challenge to change history' – Nigar Sultana on Bangladesh's poor WC record

Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana said on Sunday that the team is embracing the challenge of changing history as they prepare for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup in England.

Bangladesh have managed only three wins from 25 matches in the global T20 event. Their victories came against Sri Lanka and Ireland in the 2014 edition before they endured a long winless run, which finally ended with a win over Scotland in the 2024 tournament.

"We were coming from a long winless road," Nigar told reporters in the pre-tournament presser at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. "But I am not seeing this as a pressure. Rather I am taking this as a challenge to change history."

"Winning that match in Dubai in the last T20 World Cup gave us a great feeling, even though we couldn't win the rest of our games. However, since last year, I feel we have developed a much better team combination, and we need to increase our win count. In T20s, more players are stepping up now compared to before. We want to play better on the global stage and win more matches consistently."

Nigar also said she is not concerned about having only two frontline pacers in the squad – Marufa Akhter and Fariha Islam – as she believes Ritu Moni can effectively fill the role of a third seam-bowling option.

"There is a pace bowling allrounder with two pacers and these days I am always facing this question why there are only two pacers in England. The reason is that they have been continuously playing with the team for the last six months so we were thinking we need to carry those cricketers who are ready to play in the World Cup."

"Marufa is consistently performing well and Trishna is almost proven. I saw her performance in the last series and where she got the opportunity she made her mark. It's high time we maintain these two cricketers and make sure they are available for the World Cup."

Nigar further stated she is fully fit and eager to play despite speculation surrounding her fitness, which had earlier prompted her to be selective about playing domestic cricket. Nigar skipped the last edition of the National Cricket League to focus on fitness while managing a long-standing injury.

"I don't know why this question is always coming up. I am hundred percent fit and I have been selected in the World Cup team. Every cricketer carries some kind of niggles and no one can say they don't have any injury. Everyone plays by managing those issues and I am doing that. It won't have any effect on the ground."