Nigar Sultana Joty sets sights on Women's Asia Cup 2026 final

Bangladesh women's cricket team captain Nigar Sultana Joty has set her sights on reaching the final of the forthcoming Women's Asia Cup. Bangladesh are placed alongside UAE, Indonesia and defending champions Sri Lanka in Group B. Although they won the tournament in 2018, they have stumbled in the semifinals on two separate occasions, in 2012 and 2024.

They were outplayed by India in the semifinals of the 2024 edition, losing by 10 wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. In 2012, they were eliminated by Pakistan in the semis by six wickets at the Guanggong International Cricket Stadium in Guangzhou.

“Our main target this time is to play in the final. We have played in the semi-finals before and then been knocked out. The same thing has happened repeatedly, so we want to break that barrier this time,” Joty was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz after an official photo session on Monday.

“The group-stage matches are very important because if we can become group champions, we will not have to face India in the semi-final. The situation becomes much tougher when we face India in the semi-finals,” she said.

“Our preparation has been very good because we have played quite a few practice matches this time. Since all the games will be played in Sri Lanka, we also played two practice matches there. Preparation-wise, I think it has been very good,” she added.

Bangladesh will kick off their campaign against Indonesia on August 31. Joty feels a strong Asia Cup campaign will hold them in good stead for the Asian Games.

“If we can play the Asia Cup in a better way, it will also create a big opportunity for us in the Asian Games,” said Joty. “If you talk about the Asian Games, our first target is to go there and win a medal.

“There are a lot of expectations from our team. We want to bring home a medal, and if it is gold, that would be even bigger. We will certainly try to do that.

“First comes the Asia Cup, so if we can perform better there, that will definitely have a reflection on the Asian Games. If we can adapt to the conditions and play better cricket, we will have a good chance of doing well in both tournaments,” she concluded.