Sports Desk:

Bangladesh vice-captain Nahida Akter said on Thursday that if they can do well in the upcoming Asia Cup it will be a confidence booster for them during the forthcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh women’s team last played T20 series against India in May and was embarrassed as the tourist cleanly swept them away.

Following the series against India, Bangladeshi women cricketers were busy with the Dhaka Premier League and currently undergoing a camp in BKSP based on their performance in DPL as part of their preparation for the Asia Cup and the World Cup.

“What is gone is gone ( India series) and it not possible to get it back. We are trying to work on the mistakes we made there. We are trying to bring the confidence we gained from the Premier League here,” Nahida said in a VDO message provided by Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday.

“We have been in camp for a long time. I also played a few matches, although it rained a lot. Still, I would say as much as we have learned we will try to utilize that as much as we can in the main game,” she said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s at 100% (preparation) because, as you know it has been raining a lot across the whole country. Despite that, we practiced here and indoors as there was no opportunity to practice outside. Yet, we have also played a few matches here to identify our mistakes and work on improving them. The coaches have worked with us, so hopefully something good will happen in the upcoming matches,” she said.

“Such a tournament (Asia Cup) is beneficial for us before a big event. I think if we gain good confidence from here, and reach the semifinals then we can go on to play the final. Therefore, the confidence gained here will be very useful of us in the World Cup,” she added.

Pakistan and India are placed in Group A along with Nepal and UAE, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will play in the semifinals on July 26.

Bangladesh takes on Sri Lanka on July 20, followed by matches against Thailand and Malaysia on July 22 and 24, respectively.