Joty seeks positive cricket against Australia

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty knows her side face a daunting challenge against Australia, but she has urged her players to embrace the contest with a positive mindset rather than fear the world’s top-ranked team.

This time, however, Tigresses are facing Australia on their home soil for the first time in a bilateral One Day International series. The opening match of the three-game series will be played in Brisbane on Friday at 9:50am Bangladesh time.

“There is no denying that we are facing the best team in the world. They are ranked No. 1 in both ODIs and T20Is, so overcoming this challenge will be our biggest task,” Joty said on Thursday.

Bangladesh women have never beaten Australia in any format. They lost their three-match ODI series 3-0 in Bangladesh in 2024 and have suffered defeat in all five of their previous ODIs against the Australians.

The Bangladesh captain, however, does not want her players to be intimidated by the occasion.

“They are a wonderful team with outstanding cricketers. From our game plan to our mindset when we step onto the field, everything has to be 100% positive,” she added.

Bangladesh head into the series after an inconsistent year. They have lost two of their three ODIs in 2026 and won 13 of 25 T20 International series. They also failed to meet expectations at the Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games.

To adapt to Australian conditions, The green and red women played a 36-over practice match against Queensland Fire before the series, losing by 72 runs.

New head coach David Hemp believes the preparation has been productive and praised the players for adapting to the extra pace and bounce.

“The wickets offer a little more pace and bounce than they are used to, but the players have adjusted really well.”

The 55-year-old also urged his players to remain positive throughout the series.

“We do not want to return home in a week and say, ‘I wish we had played this way or that way.’ We need to be positive in everything we do,” he said.