Nigar Sultana Joty has explained that she decided to step down as Bangladesh’s T20I captain because she wants to give more attention to her batting. She had earlier informed the board that she did not want to continue as captain after the Asian Games. There were reports that Nigar wanted to leave because she was hurt by the lack of support from the board during difficult times, but she rejected that explanation. She said she still has more to give her country and team as a batter and player.
“No, it’s totally (false that I left because I was hurt). As a batter, as a player, I have a lot more to give to my country and my team. So, I want to focus on that, and that’s why I made this decision,” Nigar told reporters after Bangladesh’s heavy defeat to India in the Asian Games semi-final. She is set to lead Bangladesh for the last time in T20Is in the bronze medal match against Pakistan. Her decision comes after a difficult campaign for Bangladesh at the Asian Games.
Bangladesh’s batting problems continued in the semi-final at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, where India won by 114 runs. Bangladesh were asked to bowl first and allowed India to score 195/4. Shafali Verma scored her maiden T20 international century, finishing unbeaten on 100 from only 49 balls. Bangladesh struggled during the chase and were eventually bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs. The result ended their hopes of reaching the gold medal match, with India’s huge total putting pressure on Bangladesh from the beginning.
Nigar said India’s large target exposed Bangladesh’s batting depth and admitted that the batters did not take enough responsibility. She also felt better bowling could have kept India’s score lower. She pointed to Sri Lanka’s 107 runs against Pakistan earlier in the day on the same surface. “When you’re chasing a big total, this kind of collapse is natural. With slightly better bowling, we could have restricted them to fewer runs,” said Nigar. She added, “When a team collapses for so few runs, we as batters definitely took no responsibility. If even one top-order batter had stayed till the end, we could have added more runs,” she said.
Preparation was another concern for Bangladesh during the Asian Games. Rain disrupted their training schedule in Japan, leaving the team with only two days of practice. Bangladesh’s game against China was washed away, while a planned warm-up match against China also did not materialise. Nigar said the team had very limited training facilities in Japan and felt the missed matches affected their preparation. “We have virtually no training facilities here. Had we played that first match against China, it would have been much better for the whole team. But we missed that opportunity too. Overall, I’ll say the entire team played very poor cricket,” said Nigar.
Bangladesh now face Pakistan in the bronze medal match, which will be Nigar’s final game as T20I captain. Despite the semi-final defeat, she believes her team can win the contest and finish the Asian Games on a positive note. “We have a good record against Pakistan. There is a sense of positivity there,” she said as she prepares to lead Bangladesh for one final time in the T20 format. Her decision to leave the captaincy is focused on her batting, while Bangladesh will now look to respond against Pakistan. The bronze medal match gives the team an opportunity to finish the tournament strongly.
(Quotes sourced for Cricbuzz)
Loves all things female cricket