Women's World Cup Qualifiers, 2025 - Digest

April 2

Bangladesh captain Sultana confident of Marufa's availability

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana is confident regarding pacer Marufa Akhter's availability for the upcoming World Cup qualifier. Bangladesh will depart for Pakistan on April 3 for the qualifier tournament which is set to begin on April 9.

Marufa has had a long layoff due to a shoulder injury and she even missed the recently concluded Women's Dhaka Premier League, the 50-over tournament in Bangladesh for women, as part of her rehabilitation.

"She (Marufa) wasn't allowed to play in the Premier League so that she would remain fresh for the qualifiers. Fast bowlers require careful management, and since she is still young, we don't want to overburden her," Sultana said regarding Marufa, who began to bowl full tilt from March 26.

"Despite missing the league, she never complained. Instead, she put in extra effort in training. She has already resumed normal bowling in practice, and we hope to have her available from the start in Pakistan," added Sultana.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh captain remained confident of her team's chances in the qualifier. The tournament involves six teams, with the top two teams to qualify for the Women's World Cup to be held in India later this year.

"Look, the meaning of 'qualifier' is that we are going to qualify - that's the biggest thing. Last time, we also had to go through this process to play in the ODI World Cup. This time, it's the same challenge for us. There were opportunities we couldn't fully capitalise on before, but if we perform better in the qualifiers, it will be a huge boost for the team. Everyone expects us to secure our place in the ODI World Cup.

"Our team is heavily reliant on spin, and on subcontinent pitches, accurate bowling often results in wickets. But on better batting surfaces, taking wickets requires more effort," she explained. "We've been working on maintaining economical spells rather than just focusing on wickets. Restricting teams to a manageable score will be crucial, so adjusting our bowling lengths has been a major part of our preparation."