Bangladesh national women鈥檚 cricket team will take on hosts Sri Lanka to begin their Asia Cup 2024 campaign in Dambulla today.
The match will begin at 7:30pm Bangladesh Standard Time. T Sports will televise the game live from the venue.
Bangladesh won the Asia Cup in 2018 鈥� the only international title for the country at a senior level across genders 鈥� but they failed to live up to expectations in the next edition at home, crashing out in the group stage.
This time around, Bangladesh will be hoping to erase the nightmares of the past edition as they are looking forward to secure a place in the last four.
鈥榃e could not reach the semis in the last edition. Normally, our first objective this time is to reach the final four. That is why we need to start well in the first game,鈥� Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty said ahead of the tournament.
The team is arriving at the tournament on the back of some poor performance as they have lost 11 matches on the trot 鈥� three ODIs and T20Is each to Australia and then five T20Is against India 鈥� but Joty wants that to change against Sri Lanka.
鈥榃e have not been doing well for a long time. We saw some individual performances but nothing as a team. To gain momentum, we want to start well against Sri Lanka,鈥� she said.
Head coach Hashan Tilakaratne believed that the team had the ability to do well.
鈥榃e have to accept that we haven鈥檛 played good cricket in the recent past. But I am confident that the girls have the ability to do that,鈥� the Sri Lankan said.
鈥楳aybe there is a fear of failure. We have to encourage them. I have belief in the team鈥檚 talent.鈥�
The other two opponents in Bangladesh鈥檚 group are Malaysia and Thailand.