The first-ever bilateral T20I series between Bangladesh women and Australian women will kick off today.
The first match of three-match series will be held at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, the match will start at 12pm.
Meanwhile, Tigresses made three changes from their ODI squad. Fargana Hoque Pinky, Disha Biswas and Nishita Akter Nishi have been left out while Fariha Islam Trisna, Shorifa Khatun and Dilara Akter Dola have been called up in the squad.
Trishna and Disha the left-arm pacers included to have variety to the bowling.
Shorifa Khatun is an all-rounder, bowls off-spin and bats in the lower order. She may become into limelight as a T20 specialist.
Tigresses, after being whitewashed in the ODI series are expecting to bounce back in the T-20 series against mighty Australia. Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty expected that the team would fight heart and soul against Australia. On the other hand, Australian right-arm medium pacer Tayla Vlaeminck returns to the team as one of two inclusions alongside fellow Victorian Sophie Molineux.
Speed-star Vlaeminck has recovered from shoulder surgery that followed back-to-back serious foot injuries, and have a chance to feature in the XI for the first time since January 2022.
Molineux, who played her first international game in 2021, will play after more than two years when she was in Test XI that played South Africa at the WACA Ground, has a chance to feature in the playing eleven, her first T20I since October 2021.
Australia just wrapped up ODI series against the Tigresses with winning by margins of 118 runs, six wickets and eight wickets.
Their last T20I series was against South Africa in January, where they took out the series 2-1 after suffering a historic first defeat to the Proteas in the second match of the series.
Bangladesh’s last T20I assignment was also against South Africa, when they travelled there to play three matches in December.
Tigresses won the series opener by 13 runs when rain washed out the second. The Proteas then bounced back strongly to win the third game by eight wickets and the series settled on 1-1.
ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2024 will be played in Bangladesh this September and October. Australian women team are visiting Bangladesh for the first time after a decade, with 10 players who had never been to Bangladesh previously. For Australian women it is an ideal chance to know the conditions ahead of the WC.
The last time Australia and Bangladesh faced each other in the Women’s World Cup in 2023 in the group stage in South Africa.
Overall, both teams faced each other just twice in T20Is. The Kangaroos won both the matches while Bangladesh have no success in this format against them.
Bangladesh lost first match in the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2020 by nine wickets at Manuka Oval, Canberra. The Tigresses suffered the second defeat to Australia after three years in 2023.
Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Nahida Akter, Fargana Hoque, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi, Farzana Akter, Rabeya Khatun.
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck.