Sultana Credits Pakistan Captain for World Cup Qualification News

Bangladesh women’s cricket team captain, Nigar Sultana, revealed that Fatima Sana, the Pakistani captain, was the first to congratulate her team after they secured their place in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The tournament is set to occur in India and Sri Lanka later in the year.

Bangladesh clinched their World Cup berth in a dramatic finish, narrowly surpassing West Indies in Net Run Rate (NRR). This secured them the second spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier standings, behind leaders Pakistan.

After five matches, the team, led by Nigar Sultana, held the second position with six points and a NRR of 0.639.

Their qualification hinged on the subsequent match between West Indies and Thailand.

Despite West Indies winning, they fell short of Bangladesh’s NRR by a mere 0.013, causing them to narrowly miss out on qualification.

Sultana recounted that she learned of her team’s qualification from Fatima, her Pakistani counterpart.

“I received the initial call from Fatima Sana, the captain of Pakistan. She, along with players like Sidra Amin, informed me that we had qualified for the World Cup. Initially, I questioned its veracity, but it was confirmed. It was a truly special moment as it marked our second ODI World Cup appearance,” Sultana stated during a podcast.

Bangladesh’s previous match was against Pakistan, where a victory would have guaranteed their World Cup qualification.

However, they were defeated by seven wickets with 62 balls remaining, negatively impacting their Net Run Rate.

Sultana admitted to losing hope of participating in the event following the defeat. She avoided watching the crucial match due to ‘negativity’ and instead listened to music to manage her anxiety.