Joty and Co aim to finish strong at Lord’s

Although Bangladesh have already lost their chance of qualifying for the semifinals of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, they will look to finish their campaign on a high note when they take on South Africa in their final Group A match at Lord’s on Sunday.

The match is set to begin at 3:30pm (Bangladesh time).

The Tigresses, currently fourth in the six-team Group A with four points, saw their semifinal hopes end after suffering a five-wicket defeat to India in Manchester in their previous match.

Although a Bangladesh victory over South Africa, coupled with an India defeat to Australia in the day’s other Group A fixture, would leave Bangladesh, India and South Africa all level on six points, the Tigresses have already been eliminated due to their inferior net run rate.

Bangladesh’s net run rate of -0.849 is significantly behind India’s +2.268 and South Africa’s +0.734, leaving them with no mathematical chance of progressing.

From this group, Australia have already secured a semifinal berth with eight points and a net run rate of +4.724.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty, however, expressed confidence that her side can end the tournament on a positive note.

"First of all, I think every game in a World Cup is extremely important, and the last match will be no different. We definitely want to play good cricket there, and of course, we want to win the match as well," Joty said.

"So far, the team is in a fairly good space, but there are still some areas that we can rectify and improve. In my opinion, it's all about mindset. If we can maintain a positive mindset and build on the positives from this match, and if each player can contribute better in their respective roles and play more responsible cricket, then I believe we will have a chance," she added.

The match, however, remains crucial for South Africa, who need not only a victory but also a convincing one to boost their net run rate and potentially overtake India in the standings.

However, if South Africa defeat Bangladesh and India lose to Australia, the Proteas will advance to the semifinals alongside Australia from Group A.