Batting in focus as Tigresses eye semifinal berth

Bangladesh will look to book their place in the semi-finals when they take on Sri Lanka in their second Group B match of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today.

Although Bangladesh opened their campaign with a commanding 71-run victory over Indonesia, their batting left plenty to be desired as they managed only 129-8 in their 20 overs.

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Apart from Shorna Akter's unbeaten 18-ball 31, none of the Bangladesh batters could produce a typical T20 innings, leaving room for improvement ahead of the crucial clash against Sri Lanka.

However, batting coach Nasiruddin Faruque is not pushing the panic button. He believes the tricky Dubai surface makes stroke-making difficult and suggested that a total around 140 could prove competitive.

"The wicket here is a tricky one. Here, you need to utilise the powerplay and put up good partnerships in the middle overs in order to post a decent score on the board," Faruque told The Daily Star yesterday.

"It's true we didn't bat well in the first game. But Sri Lanka also struggled against Indonesia as they made 124-7. On these types of wickets, 140 runs is a good score among teams with similar strength," he added.

Opener Juairiya Ferdous echoed that sense of confidence, saying the experience of their opening game would help Bangladesh in their next assignment.

"Our next match is tomorrow against Sri Lanka, and this prior experience will be a massive benefit for us. If we can win against Sri Lanka tomorrow, we will take a significant step forward towards the semifinals and get much closer to our ultimate goal," Juairiya said.

"Our team has planned in a way that requires everyone to execute their specific roles. We will try to give our absolute best and, obviously, push hard for a win. Please keep us in your prayers," she added.

Sri Lanka currently sit at the top of Group B with four points from two matches and a net run rate of +4.129. Bangladesh are second with two points from one game and a net run rate of +3.550, while hosts UAE are third with two points from two matches and a net run rate of -0.782.

With net run rate the first tiebreaker, a victory for Bangladesh would confirm their place in the semifinals.

History, however, favours Sri Lanka. The two sides have met 16 times in T20Is, with Bangladesh winning just three and losing 13.

Bangladesh's last victory over Sri Lanka came in 2023 in Colombo. Since then, the Tigresses have lost six consecutive T20Is against their opponents.