WT20WC 2024 Day One Preview: Bangladesh, Scotland, Pakistan and Sri Lanka set for big opening day

Bangladesh open things up against World Cup debutants Scotland in Sharjah in Group B, before Pakistan play Sri Lanka on the same ground in Group A’s first fixture.

Bangladesh v Scotland

Match Centre and Scorecard

Bangladesh v Scotland, Thursday 3 October (14:00 local), Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Bangladesh had hoped for this match to be on home soil, only for non-sporting events to prompt a change of plans, and yet this fixture nevertheless represents a huge opportunity for the team on the world stage.

Scotland are the only side ranked lower than Bangladesh in the group, and they will be extremely keen to get some points on the board and build confidence before targeting upsets against remaining Group B opponents England, West Indies and South Africa.

For Scotland, this game represents history, being their first-ever appearance at an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. And they will be eyeing a statement win of their own to celebrate the historic day in style.

What The Captains Said

Bangladesh Captain Nigar Sultana: “Yeah, [shifting the event from Bangladesh] was pretty disappointing initially. But the thing is we're very professional. Now we are here and we are going to play this and we are pretty fortunate that we will do something that is going to help all the fans and the families and friends to get cheered.

“I'm expecting a lot of spectators, because in Sharjah there are a lot of Bangladeshis there. And playing in this kind of event, I think more people will come watch us and support.”

Scotland Captain Kathryn Bryce: “I think we just really want to compete in this competition. We've played some fantastic cricket in the qualifiers and leading up to it, so I think, we just want to go out there and do ourselves justice on that stage and put in some good performances against these teams.”

The Squads

Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani, Disha Biswas

More on Bangladesh's squad announcement

Scotland: Kathryn Bryce (c), Sarah Bryce (vc), Lorna Jack-Brown, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Abtaha Maqsood, Saskia Horley, Chloe Abel, Priyanaz Chatterji, Megan McColl, Darcey Carter, Ailsa Lister, Hannah Rainey, Rachel Slater, Katherine Fraser, Olivia Bell

More on Scotland's squad announcement

Pakistan v Sri Lanka

Match Centre and Scorecard

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Thursday 3 October (18:00 local), Sharjah Cricket Stadium

The opening Group A fixture at the tournament is a repeat of the Asia Cup semi-final back in July, where Sri Lanka triumphed in final-over thriller en-route to winning that competition outright.

And Sri Lanka will be looking for a similar positive result to give themselves a strong start in their bid to upset the odds and reach the T20 World Cup knockout stage.

This will be the only match where Chamari Athapaththu’s side will be the highest ranked during their group stage campaign, with fixtures against Australia, India and New Zealand to follow.

And form would suggest that they are strong favourites, with Pakistan suffering disappointing results in the warm-up matches, losing to Scotland and Bangladesh.

This is a new era for Pakistan women’s cricket, who are backing youngster Fatima Sana as captain as they look to freshen things up in the national set-up, and their 22-year-old skipper will be hoping for a morale-boosting win on the opening day.

What The Captains Said

Pakistan captain, Fatima Sana: “I will try to enjoy myself, express myself and back myself as well (as captain). Actually, our whole management is supporting me, and they told me that you just take a brave decision on the field, so just try to do this, be calm and just do whatever you want.”

Sri Lanka captain, Chamari Athapaththu: “We are coming with underdog tag all the time. So, we don't have any pressure. I don't want to take too much pressure on my shoulders and my teammates' shoulders. But we keep it simple. I have a very young team, so we have a few seniors as well. I hope we can continue our best performance, because we've been playing really good cricket the last 16 months. This is a different format and different conditions, so we have to start again, fresh days. So, keep it simple, one ball one time, one game one time.”

The Squads

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan

Travelling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wk)

Non-travelling reserves: Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani

More on Pakistan's squad announcement

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Anushka Sanjeewani, Harshitha Madhavi, Nilakshika de Silva, Inoka Ranaweera, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Sachini Nisansala, Vishmi Gunaratne, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchana.

Travelling reserve: Kaushini Nuthyangana

More on Sri Lanka's squad announcement

The World Cup will see 23 matches held in total over 18 days, with all matches in the two host cities of Dubai and Sharjah.

Fans can purchase tickets online or directly at the stadiums, for more information on where to buy click here.