Marufa available for Sri Lanka match, Bangladesh focus on strike rotation

Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh women’s team leg spinner Fahima Khatun has confirmed that the team’s star pacer, Marufa Akter, will be available for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup clash against Sri Lanka on Monday.

Marufa has claimed five wickets in the tournament so far from four matches. She was rested in the previous match against Australia due to injury concerns, a game Bangladesh lost by 10 wickets.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Sunday, Fahima said Marufa is fully fit and ready for the important contest.

“Marufa has fully recovered. She’s been practicing hard over the last two days and will be available for tomorrow’s match. About the missed moments, yes, we started the tournament well and played good cricket against every team. That raised our expectations, and they’re still high. We’ll try to keep up the momentum and aim to finish strong by earning full points from the last two matches,” she said.

Fahima also addressed concerns over dot balls and the team’s strike rotation.

“It's really difficult for us because in between time need to more rotation. That will be more getting score. We discuss about this type of situation, how we manage. So hopefully tomorrow's game will be better,” she added.

On the performance of captain Nigar Sultana Joty, who has scored 71 runs in five matches with a highest score of 32 against South Africa, Fahima expressed confidence despite the captain’s modest numbers.

“I would say, the captain plays a key role in holding the batting lineup together. Even though she hasn’t scored big yet, other batters are contributing. Her contribution is very important for us. She’s worked really hard over the last couple of days, and she’s confident. I believe she’ll perform well in tomorrow’s match,” she concluded. This article was originally published on the Daily Sun.

BP/ZE