When Fargana Hoque was on her way back to her village on Sunday, she was going to check out of the hotel where the team was staying since a huge number of photojournalists had stopped her and asked to take her photograph.
Fargana graciously agreed and posed for a few photographs while enjoying all of the attention that the right-handed batter has been receiving since hitting the first hundred run for Bangladesh in Women’s One-Day Internationals during the third match of the three-match series against India in Mirpur on Saturday. The match was part of a series against India. The stalemate in the last game allowed Bangladesh and India to split the series, which was the best possible result for the Tigresses given the strength of India.
It is easy to see why the atmosphere that prevailed inside the team hotel the previous day was unlike anything the Bangladesh women cricketers had ever encountered. When asked how it felt, Fargana said that it was an entirely new experience for her. I am delighted that everyone [the media and the BCB officials] has arrived here, and I am having a great time. It would seem that our significance has expanded dramatically.
It turned out that Fargana’s guess was true since the women’s cricket team from Bangladesh won the Asia Cup in 2018, which was the last time they earned such praise.
The president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Nazmul Hassan Papon, who was absent from the country during Bangladesh’s third one-day international match, hurried to the hotel yesterday with other members of the board to congratulate the girls and spend some time with them.
The president of the BCB also stated that the squad will get a financial incentive of Tk 35 lakh to reward them for their outstanding performance against India, who is now rated two places higher than Bangladesh in the ODI rankings at position fourth.
The leader, Nigar Sultana Joty, has pledged to maintain the current rate of progress.
This victory provided us momentum, and we are committed to maintaining that momentum in the next series as well. From this point on, we do not intend to stare in the rearview mirror, and, as I’ve already said, we will play every series with the desire to prevail. It goes without saying that getting the bonus makes one feel grateful. “You know, receiving the bonus itself feels great (smiles),” remarked an ecstatic and inspired Joty. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
On the other side of the team hotel, a young pacer named Marufa Akter, who is also a young potential for the squad, was seen taking pleasure in every second of the special event. “I am really enjoying it. “Everyone is praising me, encouraging me, and they told me that I have to play even better in the coming days,” said Marufa, who shined brilliantly in the ODI series with seven wickets in three games. Marufa was the player who had the most success in the one-day international series.
Despite the monetary reward, the head of the BCB confessed that the board has not been able to offer the women’s team with the kind of assistance and facilities that it needed. In the following days, he pledged to place an even greater focus on this particular aspect.
“We provided them with a bonus, but the fact that we are prepared to place a greater emphasis on them is of much more significance. They offered us some ideas, and we gave them our word that we would investigate it further. Along with coaches, they will also require support personnel. They have requested a fast bowling coach, and we have chosen to provide that for them,” Papon added.
Papon also mentioned a few aspects that need to be developed in order to cultivate the game of women’s cricket in Bangladesh from the ground up. He spoke about cricket being played in schools and also announced the beginning of the British Premier League for women.
“We also want to have school cricket for the girls, and we are willing to start it this year in order to help us get new players,” said the team’s captain. They [players] have also asked to establish the women’s BPL, and we told them that we have already reached a decision in principle to start that,” Papon said. The players have also requested that the women’s BPL be introduced.
It will be essential for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to put into action what Papon stated, which will unquestionably assist the women’s cricket team in Bangladesh in moving up to the next level in international cricket.