ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023: How Far Can Bangladesh Go?

January 19, 2023, 07:55 PM
by Nafiz Tahmid

UNB News
Publish- January 19, 2023, 07:55 PM
Nafiz Tahmid
Update- January 19, 2023, 08:21 PM

ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023: How Far Can Bangladesh Go?

Bangladesh team in ICC Under-19 T20 Women’s World Cup

The first Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) started on January 14, 2023. However, the inaugural event was scheduled to take place in January 2021 but was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was finally started in South Africa in 2023, and Bangladesh automatically qualified for the tournament as a full member of the ICC.

And the team proceeded to the super six rounds by beating Australia, Sri Lanka, and the USA. Bangladesh’s team is in great rhythm as they have won all three group stage matches. So, how far the U-19 Bangladesh Women’s Cricket Team can go? Let’s analyze their performance.

Bangladesh’s Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup Team

On December 29, 2022, BCB announced the Bangladesh squad for the Women’s Under-19 World Cup, including three players who made their debut in the national team. Disha Biswas is the captain of the Bangladesh U-19 team in the tournament.

Leg spinner Rabeya Khan, wicketkeeper-batter Dilara Akhtar and all-rounder Marufa Akhtar are in Bangladesh's 15-member team. All three made their international debuts on the recent New Zealand tour. Despite being with the national team, the pace bowling all-rounder captain Disha did not play the match.

For the team selection, the BCB selectors prioritize the synchronization in the team. Hence, they have selected a team that has been together for two years.

Players of The Team:

Afia Humaira Anam Prottasha, Asrafi Yeasmin Arthy, Dilara Akter, Disha Biswas (captain), Jannatul Maoua, Leky Chakma, Marufa Akter, Misty Rany Saha, Mst Dipa Khatun, Mst Eva, Mst Unnoti Akter, Rabeya Khan, Reya Akter Shika, Shorna Akter (vice captain) and Sumaiya Akter.

Stand by Players List:

Subarna Karmakar, Nishita Akhter, Rabeya Khatun, and Zuairia Ferdous

Performance of Bangladesh Team in U-19 Women's World Cup's Group Stage

16 teams were divided into four groups for the World Cup, and Bangladesh was in group A. Apart from Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka, and the USA were in the ‘A’ group of the tournament.

Bangladesh vs Australia

Bangladesh won the first match of the first U-19 World Cup in women’s cricket history. Bangladesh U-19 team beat Australia’s U-19 powerhouse by seven wickets at Willomoor Park in Benoni, South Africa, on January 14.

Australia batted first and scored 130 runs for five wickets. Bangladesh passed the target of 131 runs with 12 balls in hand. After the winning run, the girls of Bangladesh floated with joy at Willomoor Park. However, at the beginning of the run chase, it was not predicted that Bangladesh would win so easily. It started as badly as possible as opener Misty Saha was out on the first ball of the innings.

From there, Dilara Akhtar and Afia Prottasha made a partnership of 66 runs from 60 balls. Dilara, who started batting in one down, returned with 40 runs from 42 balls, leaving the team at 66 runs in the first ball of the eleventh over. After five balls and five runs, Prottasha also returned with 24 runs off 22 balls. There were 2 four-sixes in the Prottasha’s innings. Dilara’s innings were lined with 7 fours.

After losing 2 wickets quickly, Sshorna and Sumaiya did the job without any pressure. They did the work by counter-attacking when they formed a partnership; at that time, Bangladesh needed 60 runs from 54 balls. From there, Bangladesh won with 12 balls in hand. DIlara Akter became the player of the match.

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka

After defeating Australia, the U-19 women’s team won by 10 runs against Sri Lanka in the second match. The team went to bat after losing the toss. Aafia Prottasha and Misty Shaha gave a great start. The pair scored 75 runs in 11.1 overs.

Prottasha got out after playing a stormy inning of 53 runs off 43 balls. Five fours and three sixes came from her bat. Misty was out after that. She scored 14 runs off 24 balls but played a major role in keeping wickets at one end. When she was out, the team had 79 runs with 8 wickets in their hand. The team did not lose any more wickets after that.

Shorna Akter played a great inning, and she scored 50 runs off 28 balls. With three fours and two sixes, Shorna gave hope for a win. Bangladesh lost 2 wickets and scored 165 runs in total. On the other hand, Sri Lanka Under-19 women’s team lost 4 wickets and got stuck at 155 runs. Afia Prottasha won the player of the match award.

Bangladesh vs USA

Bangladesh Women Under-19 team bowled first after losing the toss in Benoni. The US innings stopped at 103 runs for 4 wickets in the scheduled 20 overs without being able to handle the controlled bowling of the Bangladeshi bowlers. In bowling, captain Disha took two wickets, and Marufa took one wicket for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh lost two openers within the team’s 21 runs. However, Shorna Akter paired with Dilara Akter in the third wicket pair and gave a good pace in Bangladesh’s score. The pair scored 38 runs, and Shorna scored 22 runs from 14 balls.

Dilara also returned to the pavilion by scoring 17 runs. However, Rabeya Khan’s 18 (not out), Disha Biswas’s 10, and Misty Saha’s 14 runs led Bangladesh to victory in 17.3 overs. Disha Biswas became the player of the match. Bangladesh U-19 women’s team had already qualified for the Super Six after defeating Australia and Sri Lanka. This time Tigresses went to the next round as the group champion after winning the match against the USA.

Potentials of Bangladesh U-19 Women's Team in T20 Women's World Cup Super 6

Bangladesh will face South Africa and the United Arab Emirates in the Super Six stage on January 21 and 25, respectively. So far, Bangladesh’s U 19 women’s team has had a great performance with their unbeaten streak in the world cup. However, Bangladesh may face difficulties against South Africa. Although they lost one match in the group stage against India, South Africa tends to take more runs and be consistent compared to other teams in the tournaments except for India.

On the other hand, Bangladesh tends to play mixing the defending and attacking cricket. As a result, Bangladesh is able to play 20 overs without losing many wickets. As a result, if Bangladesh can keep up its group stage performance, the tigress can win the match against South Africa.

On the other hand, Bangladesh should get an easy win against the United Arab Emirates. UAE won only one game in the group stage, and comparatively, they are weaker than the Bangladesh team.

So, winning both games will surely lead Bangladesh to the semifinals. However, if Bangladesh loses to South Africa, still the team will have a chance for the semifinal. But, in that case, Bangladesh will need to achieve a big win against the UAE.

Can Bangladesh Reach the Final of ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023?

If Bangladesh reaches the semifinal, there is a big chance that the team may face any of the teams among Pakistan, New Zealand, England, and the West Indies. And all these teams are playing incredible games on the group stage. So, Bangladesh’s Under 19 Women’s team has very little hope for the final.

Final Words

Bangladesh Under-19 Women’s team has already achieved impressive results in the group stage and will continue to strive for excellence as they prepare for the Super Six stage. With consistence performance, Bangladesh has the potential to go to the semifinal and make a mark in the international cricket arena. However, we will have to wait until January 25 to see the outcome.