SHARJAH: Bangladesh ended a 10-year wait to win a Women’s T20 World Cup match on Thursday as Pakistan warmed up for a mouthwatering clash with India by defeating Asian champions Sri Lanka.
On the opening day of the 2024 tournament, Bangladesh secured a 16-run win over Scotland after posting what appeared to be a flimsy 119-7 in their 20 overs.
Their bowling attack, however, tied the Scots down and restricted them to 103-7.
Later, Pakistan, who have never made it out of the group stages in eight previous attempts, beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs.
Pakistan made 116 in their 20 overs before restricting Sri Lanka to 85-9.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty described ending her team’s long wait for a World Cup win as “very emotional” and suggested it would create “momentum” for the women’s game at home.
“I would say that a win after 10 years, we all are very emotional because we have been waiting for this victory for a long time,” said Joty who was playing in her 100th T20I.
“No matter how good the cricket we play, if it doesn’t translate into victory, it means nothing. And I would say for women’s cricket, after a long time, I feel like we have done something.
“We have always said about Bangladesh that we have to create momentum and then we will move forward with that momentum.
“Now it seems like we are going to dream of doing something bigger. Similarly, the fans and family who support us in Bangladesh are dreaming that we can do something better than that.”
The momentum for women’s cricket in Bangladesh would have had a far bigger boost had they been staging the event as planned.
Instead, weeks of widespread political unrest in Bangladesh, which eventually led to the installation of an interim government, saw the tournament switched to the United Arab Emirates, with Bangladesh remaining as nominal hosts.
“Initially it was very heartbreaking because we always bear in mind that we are going to play in front of our home crowd,” said Joty.
“But still, the people who came here today, it was brilliant.”
After winning the toss and batting first, Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 36 for Bangladesh.
Their bowlers then strangled newcomers Scotland in spite of Sarah Bryce’s 49 not out from 52 balls.
Ritu Moni was named player of the match for her spell of 2-15 from four overs.
Pakistan staged a determined fightback to beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs with left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal claiming three wickets.
Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail and player of the match Fatima Sana all took two each for Pakistan against Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka.
Pakistan needed a crucial lower-order knock from their captain Sana to post a competitive total, having slumped to 84-8 after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
“We won the toss and we wanted a lot of runs but we didn’t get. We still achieved the target in the game,” said Sana.
For Sri Lanka, Nilakshika Silva top-scored with 22 after Pakistan had lost opening bowler Diana Baig to a calf strain after just one ball.
On Friday, India take on New Zealand while South Africa face West Indies with both games taking place in Dubai.
India and Pakistan will face off on Sunday.
Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah
https://arab.news/95vsf
Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah
- Pakistan, who have never made it out of the group stages in eight previous attempts, defeated Sri Lanka by 31 runs
- Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty described ending her team’s long wait for a World Cup win as ‘very emotional’
How Saudi football scored in the runup to 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Saudi Pro League asserted global dominance with star-studded lineups and record-breaking performances from Asia’s elite top-tier clubs
- Domestic leagues reached new heights, yet the national team faces mounting pressure ahead of a high-stakes global tournament
DUBAI: FIFA President Gianni Infantino seemed full of optimism on Dec. 21 when he said Saudi Arabia had become a major hub on the global football stage and that the Saudi Pro League was on track to become one of the top three in the world.
With players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and a nation crazy about the great game, this endorsement perhaps comes as little surprise.
Infantino also predicted a successful World Cup in 2034 when the tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. With infrastructure being built and upgraded, the Expo 2030 venue under construction, and reforms underway, the World Cup seems destined to be a success.
The FIFA boss also praised the progress made not only at the senior national team level and across youth categories, but also in the women’s game, thanks to the backing of football authorities in recent years.
While this paints a positive picture of the game in the Kingdom, it follows the national team’s 1-0 loss to Jordan in the semi-finals of the 2025 Arab Cup. Many supporters will need far more convincing of the team’s prospects going into the New Year.
Although the return of Herve Renard as coach of the Green Falcons following Roberto Mancini’s disappointing stint has resulted in a second consecutive World Cup qualification (and seventh overall), failure to win the Arab Cup in Qatar and some less than inspiring performances means the jury is still out on the Frenchman.
At the 2026 World Cup, Saudi Arabia will face Uruguay, European champions Spain, and Cape Verde in their three Group H matches, taking place in Miami, Atlanta, and Houston respectively.
Saudi fans sharing Infantino’s positive outlook will hope Renard’s men can emulate the historic win over Argentina on that memorable night at Lusail Stadium in 2022. But that is far easier said than done, and many remain unconvinced.
For a start, just as Poland and Mexico were alerted to Saudi Arabia’s potential following that humbling of Lionel Messi and co in Qatar, their opponents in the US will likewise be on their guard this time around.
Worryingly for Saudi fans, the team has rarely, if at all, hit the same highs since Saleh Al-Shehri’s equalizer and Salem Al-Dawsari’s stunning strike brought about arguably the most famous win in the Green Falcons’ history.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup, played in early 2024 and only months after Mancini’s arrival, saw Saudi Arabia eliminated by South Korea on penalties in the round of 16.
World Cup qualification was eventually secured but not before the team needed to negotiate a fourth round group that included Iraq and Indonesia in October.
The semi-final exit at the Arab Cups prompted rumors — immediately denied by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation — that Renard’s job was under threat. Still, it was hardly a ringing endorsement of the way things had turned out on his second stint as national team coach.
Outspoken Saudi-based football pundit Battal Algoos has been scathing in his criticism of Renard and his employers, and in particular of the excuses for the Arab Cup disappointment.
“It seems to be a contagion that has affected the Saudi camp,” he said on the football show “Filmarma” on Al Arabiya.
“Everyone justifies (their position) through others’ failures. We brought you to win a championship, not to say ‘those before me didn’t win championships, I’m no worse than them’.
“It seems to be contagious, from (SAFF President) Yasser Al-Misehal to Renard. Or their thinking is one and the same.”
Paul Williams, Australian journalist and founder and presenter of “The Asian Game” podcast, was at Lusail Stadium the day Saudi Arabia beat the eventual world champions, but believes urgent fixes are needed by Renard this time round.
“There are a multitude of areas that Saudi Arabia need to improve,” he told Arab News. “The obvious is in the final third, where there are still issues finding a reliable avenue to goal, an issue that blighted most of their qualification campaign.
“But they also haven’t yet found a capable replacement in midfield for Salman Al-Faraj, and the entire narrative around Saudi football has changed since before 2022.
“There has always been pressure and expectation from the fans, but that is even more intense now and it feels like that sits heavily on the squad, who are yet to prove they are capable of delivering under that burden of expectation.”
The team’s main concern remains, as it was four years ago in Qatar, its lack of fire power up front and an over-reliance on Al-Dawsari for goals and inspiration. In that sense, at least the 34-year-old talisman can still be relied on.
The Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia captain provided one of the highlights of 2025 when he was named AFC Player of the Year at the awards ceremony in Riyadh. Al-Dawsari is the only Saudi to have won the Asian award twice.
On an individual level, he enjoyed a stellar 2024-25 season with his club, although Al-Hilal lost out on the Saudi Pro League title to a Benzema-inspired Al-Ittihad.
Al-Dawsari and Al-Hilal came back strongly in the summer to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the US, along the way drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid in the group stage and brilliantly beating Manchester City 4-3 in the round of 16.
Domestically, however, it is their local rivals that have stolen all the headlines, with their lead at the top of the SPL delighting millions of fans around the world and perhaps in the process reinforcing Infantino’s estimation of the league.
Al-Nassr, now managed by former Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus and inspired by the relentlessly enduring Ronaldo, look near invincible at the top of the table, having won all nine matches during this campaign.
The coronation that their fans and the Portuguese legend’s army of global followers had envisioned since he landed in Riyadh three years ago is looking increasingly likely to happen in May. Their end of year report card is glowing 9 out of 10.
Al-Hilal, the self-styled Real Madrid of Asia, can never be counted out however, and the title race in 2026 could be one of the most exciting and close in recent years.
Reigning champions Al-Ittihad, on the other hand, have put up a dismal defense of their title resulting in the sacking of Laurent Blanc, who was succeeded by Sergio Conceicao. Their card will read “must do better.”
Al-Ahli provided further evidence of the SPL’s continental dominance by claiming the 2025 AFC Champions League Elite after beating Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in Jeddah last May.
Elsewhere, Aramco-owned Al-Qadsiah and newly promoted NEOM provide intriguing plot lines as they sit in fifth and eighth respectively, while Al-Taawoun continue to punch above their weight in third.
One of the standout personalities of the season has been US investor Ben Harburg who — through Harburg Group — acquired 100 percent of Al-Kholood in July, making it the first Saudi club wholly owned by a foreign entity. The purchase opens up new possibilities for the SPL.
There is little debate now that the SPL is the most powerful and entertaining in Asia and could in future years, if Infantino is right, become one of the world’s best. The national team’s standing however, until the 2026 World Cup at least, remains up in the air.
