<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>After becoming captain of the Bangladesh women's team, Nigar Sultana has attended countless press conferences. But Wednesday's one will surely stand out in her memory for a long time.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She arrived with a broad smile, ready with her team to face the world champions—Australia, in their first-ever full series. The number of attending media personnel was unlike anything she had experienced before. More importantly, none of the questions thrown at her doubted Bangladesh's ability to challenge Australia.</div><div><br></div><div>“The biggest thing is, when we played the series against India, the journalists' questions were different. They were asking whether we could win, what could happen... Today, we are playing against Australia, and no one has asked me that question. They are asking, 'It will be even better if you win.' This is a big achievement,” Nigar said, her face beaming.</div><div><br></div><div>“Thank you all for that,” she added emotionally.</div><div><br></div><div>This series marks a historic moment for the Bangladesh team, an opportunity to test their mettle against the world champions and showcase their growing strength on the international stage. Under Nigar Sultana's leadership, Bangladesh has achieved some big successes in recent years, including an ODI win over South Africa, winning a series against Pakistan, and a tied series against India, which has solidified their rising trajectory in international cricket.</div><div><br></div><div>These achievements have instilled a sense of confidence and belief within the team, making them an opponent for any team in the world who cannot be taken lightly. Their rise hasn't gone unnoticed. Australian captain Alyssa Healy acknowledges Bangladesh as a "real threat" and praises their inclusion in the ICC Women's Championship. This recognition from the world champions is a testament to the hard work of the Bangladeshi players and a sign of their growing respect on the international stage.</div><div><br></div><div>The Australian captain anticipates a lot of spin bowling from Bangladesh, calling it "challenging for the team that is not from the subcontinent."</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana remains confident in her team's abilities, both in batting and bowling.</div><div><br></div><div>“From our perspective, our batting looked strong when we recently played in South Africa. When we played against India and Pakistan at home, our bowling seemed strong,” she said. “This is a good sign for the team. Both departments are in a very good place. Now it's important to see which department can contribute the most for the team tomorrow.”</div><div><br></div><div>This series against Australia presents a significant opportunity for Bangladesh. It's a chance to further demonstrate their progress and test themselves against the best. The invaluable experience will allow them to gauge their strengths and weaknesses against top-level competition. A strong performance against Australia will boost the team's confidence and inspire a new generation of young girls in Bangladesh to take up the sport.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite their recent successes, Bangladesh will face a tough challenge against a formidable Australian team. The visitors boast a wealth of experience and talent, though they might struggle to adapt to the conditions.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Alyssa, the Australia captain, accepted the challenge but said they have experience playing in different conditions around the globe, indicating that they are not bothered with the conditions much. Moreover, some players just arrived in Dhaka with the fresh memory of playing in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where they got conditions familiar to the ones in Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh captain, however, said the home advantage might be a great strength for them in this series. “W have the home advantage. I think they are quite unfamiliar with the conditions here because they haven't played here before,” Nigar said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Whatever the outcome this series may bring, Bangladesh’s encounters with the World Champions Australia will surely draw the attention of many girls to cricket, Nigar believes. - unb</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>