“ Shesh obdi toh chesta kor.” (Keep trying till the end).
Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty is a gift that keeps on giving behind the stumps, especially to those proficient in Bangla. Almost with the demeanour of a parent or an elder sibling, Joty’s constant reprimanding, laced with encouragement, at her players can also double up as nuggets of life advice.
On Tuesday night, under the lights at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, Bangladesh tried until the end. The Tigresses almost pulled off an upset for ages, but England held its nerve to clinch a four-wicket win in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 match.
After labouring to a first-innings total of 178, Bangladesh’s bowling attack – led by Fahima Khatun – kept the English batters at bay for as long as it could. But it was Heather Knight – who received three reprieves – who stayed till the end and secured the win for England.
Instructions from above and Joty’s talks
Even when Joty was back in the dressing room after getting out for nought, her vociferous self could be seen shouting out instructions at her batters. And when donning the wicketkeeper’s gloves, she could be seen micro-managing, engrossed in every ball.
There was an instance of Joty walking all the way to Marufa Akter, at the non-striker’s end, for a chat, after the young pacer erred her line to concede three wides in a row. Next ball, Marufa trapped Tammy Beaumont in front.
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Instructions were also being constantly sent out by the coaching staff to the players, scribbled on bright neon chits, easily caught on the broadcast cameras.
“For the bowlers, the plan was to bowl wicket-to-wicket. We all backed our bowling attack to defend the score. The messages told us to attack the stumps and not give any width because the England batters like to punish that line. We allowed them those scoring shots, which hurt us,” Khatun, who took three wickets, said after the match.
Bangladesh’s Marufa Akter celebrates after taking the wicket of Amy Jones of England in World Cup match in Guwahati.
| Photo Credit:
RITURAJ KONWAR/The Hindu
Bangladesh’s Marufa Akter celebrates after taking the wicket of Amy Jones of England in World Cup match in Guwahati.
| Photo Credit:
RITURAJ KONWAR/The Hindu
A brave fielding effort helped keep Bangladesh in the contest, and Khatun believed in her team till the end. “Even when we had 16 runs left to defend, I was telling my teammates that four miraculous deliveries could give us the match. You can’t really predict anything with cricket. We were in it till the last run.”
While the World Cup’s tagline reads ‘will to win’, Bangladesh, with this fight against the English, is showing that it is here to win. “After we booked our second World Cup spot by the skin of our teeth in the qualifier, we prepared with the mindset of not just playing good cricket, but to win matches in the tournament, no matter who the opponent,” Khatun said.
Next, Bangladesh faces a struggling New Zealand on Friday and after giving England a run for its money, Joty and Co. will like their chances against the White Ferns.
Published on Oct 08, 2025
