Southampton, June 20 (IANS) Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan first in a must-win Group A match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton on Saturday. Both teams have had a poor start in the tournament and will be hoping to bounce back into the reckoning.

Bangladesh Women’s captain Nigar Sultana Joty said they will try to post a big score. She said the WC is a bit hectic, but they are trying to adjust. She further says that they had a lot of fun on their bus while coming, and ends by mentioning the changes on their side.

“Looking at the first game, we want to put some runs on the board,” said Nigar Sultana. “It’s a very hectic schedule, and we are not getting time to adapt. We want to put up a good score.”

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said that though it looks like a batting pitch, they are keen to restrict Bangladesh to below 150. “We need to be more disciplined in the field,” said Fatima, who was non-committal on whether she would bat higher in the order in this match after scoring a fifty and claiming three wickets in their previous match.

Though Pakistan hold an overall advantage in the head-to-head series by winning 16 of their 20 clashes, Bangladesh has scored three wins in their last four matches, which gives them hope of causing an upset on Saturday.

Playing XIs:

Bangladesh: Juairiya Ferdous, Dilara Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (C & WK), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter Meghla.

Pakistan: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (WK), Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (C), Tuba Hassan, Tasmia Rubab, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal.

–IANS

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