Bangladesh, fresh off a historic win over Scotland, their first in 10 years and third overall at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, now face a formidable challenge against England in the sixth match of the tournament. Several individual milestones are within reach for players on both sides, adding extra layers of excitement to the contest.
At just 27 years old, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana has already etched her name in Bangladeshi cricket history. When she led her team onto the field against Scotland, she became the first Bangladeshi woman to play 100 T20 Internationals. Sultana has accumulated 1962 T20I runs over her 100-match career and is now just 38 runs short of becoming the first Bangladeshi woman to reach 2000 runs in the format. Joty also became the first Bangladeshi woman to score a T20I century.
Another Bangladeshi player who has been quietly making waves is 25-year-old Murshida Khatun. She is set to play her 50th T20I tomorrow against England. In her 49 matches so far, Murshida has compiled 922 runs, with her highest score of 80 coming against Malaysia. If she can score 78 or more runs in the upcoming match, she will become only the third Bangladeshi woman to reach the coveted 1000 T20I runs mark, joining her captain Nigar Sultana and Fargana Hoque in this exclusive club.
Turning to England, they too have players closing in on impressive achievements. Maia Bouchier, a dynamic middle-order batter, made her international debut in 2021 and has since made a mark across formats. In her 47 international matches, which include 35 T20Is and 12 ODIs, she has accumulated 957 runs. Now, just 43 runs away from reaching 1000 international runs, Bouchier has a golden opportunity to achieve this landmark against Bangladesh.
Another exciting prospect for England is Alice Capsey. In just 51 international matches, Capsey has racked up 929 runs, of which 672 have come in T20Is at an impressive strike rate of 121.96. She is now 71 runs away from her 1000th international run, and her ability to change the game with both bat and ball makes her a player to watch in this encounter.
While England’s batting has received much attention, their bowling attack is equally formidable. Off-spinner Charlie Dean is on the cusp of a remarkable achievement as she closes in on 100 wickets in white-ball formats. Dean, who has become a key figure in England’s bowling line-up, has taken 61 wickets in ODIs and 36 wickets in T20Is, bringing her total to 97. She now stands just 3 wickets away from the century mark. In T20Is, she has scored 126 runs at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 112, proving herself as a handy lower-order batter.
When it comes to head-to-head records, England has dominated Bangladesh in their previous encounters, winning all three of their T20I meetings. The match will take place at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with the action set to begin at 7:30 PM IST.