‘We want to be champions, but also need to be realistic’

The cricket world is currently busy either celebrating or witnessing India's celebration after winning the recently-concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. But in about three months' time, Bangladesh is set to host another ICC event – the Women's T20 World Cup – scheduled to start on October 3. In a recent conversation with The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan, Bangladesh Cricket Board's women's wing chairman Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel spoke about their preparation for the global event, their expectations from the women's team and on some other relevant issues.

Here are the excerpts:

The Daily Star (DS): The countdown for the women's T20 World Cup has already begun. This will be the first women's World Cup in Bangladesh after 2014. What is the current status preparation-wise?

Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel (SACN): For the tournament, in terms of our infrastructure, we don't need to construct anything new. Before any tournament, especially an ICC event, there are some common things that we work on. We have the infrastructure required in place. Maybe some renovation works like maybe a fresh coat of paint will be applied at the venue. We are also thinking about doing some eye-catching decorative work. The tournament will be held in two venues – Dhaka and Sylhet. Both the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in Mirpur.

Our girls will go to BKSP on July 3 for a preparation camp for the upcoming Asia Cup which will begin on July 4. All of our players are physically fit at the moment. Our coaching staff are also helping them prepare well so that they can go to the next level.  

DS: The giant screen at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur was severely damaged by a storm a few months ago. Is there any chance of fixing it or installing a new one before the tournament?

SACN: We are hopeful that the matter will be solved before the tournament starts. As this is an ICC tournament, we are looking into the matter seriously.

DS: Initially there were some talks about hosting some matches at the Outer Stadium of the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Those talks have died down now. Did the floodlights issue force you to change the decision?

SACN: That venue will be used for practice. The main matches will be held at ground one. 

DS: What about the ICC? How satisfied are they with the preparation so far?

SACN: Actually, we have hosted many events before. They have been communicating with us and gathering information about our preparation. They know that most of our preparation for the tournament is already complete.

DS: Recently, BCB has announced a squad for the Asia Cup. Some of the senior players like Rumana Ahmed and Jahanara Alam were called back to the side. A few uncapped cricketers were also picked in the squad. We didn't have a good home series against Australia and India. Are we still looking for the right balance in the team?

SACN: The Asia Cup will be held in Sri Lanka. It will be our last big assignment before the World Cup. It's an acid test for us. The team will go there on the 16th. The selectors and the coach have tried to make a team consisting of experienced and young cricketers. It's not like they have made wholesome changes to the team. Every time a squad is announced for a tournament there are usually a couple of changes on the basis of performances.

DS: There were some talks regarding the performance of Nigar Sultana Joty both as a skipper and a batter after the recent home series. Is it a matter of concern for the BCB before the big tournament?

SACN: The board has no plan to change captaincy at the moment. There are no difference in opinions as well. We want to keep our faith in Joty.

DS: Both our men's and women's teams don't have a good record in T20 World Cups. The women's team won two matches in the 2014 edition at home but could not win any matches in the next four T20 World Cups. As we will be playing once again in front of our fans, do we have any big ambitions this time around?

SACN: Actually, if we look at the performance of our women's team, the performance graph is not that bad. It's true that we couldn't do well in our recent two series. But our performances before those two series were quite promising. Hopefully, we will have a good Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. We had won the Asia Cup in the T20 format once before. We have also won against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. With the ability this team possesses, I'm optimistic that they will do well in the tournament. 

Regarding the World Cup, as we are the hosts and we know very well about our conditions and the venues, I think that will be an added advantage this year. The fans will be cheering for us and as everything will be familiar, I think they should do well in the tournament as well. 

DS: Have you set any targets for the team in the tournament?

SACN: As the hosts, we want to see our team go all the way. But honestly, we also have to consider the strengths of our team and of our opponents. If I say that we will be champions, many will disagree with it. If I say we want to go next round, people will also take it differently. What I want to say is that we want the best performance from our side in the tournament. 

DS: This year's women's NCL will be held in T20 format. Why?

SACN: We want to ensure that our girls get more matches before the World Cup and for that reason, we have planned to arrange the National Cricket League in August with the participation of eight divisional teams. The tournament will be held in T20 format so that they can get some match practice.

DS: Is there any chance of hosting the tournament in either Mirpur or Sylhet where the World Cup matches will be played?

SACN: I'm yet to be informed about the NCL venue. It's difficult to arrange those matches in Mirpur as everyone wants to play there. Again, there are some requirements of the ICC as they want the tournament venues free from a point of time. So, we have to plan everything keeping those things in mind.