‘As a batter, I have a lot more to give’ – Nigar Sultana explains decision to step down as T20I captain

Nigar Sultana has confirmed that she will step down as Bangladesh women’s T20I captain after the 2026 Asian Games, with the veteran batter keen to focus more on her batting. Nigar had previously informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board about her decision to relinquish the captaincy following the continental event.

There had been reports suggesting that Nigar’s decision was influenced by a lack of support from the board during difficult periods. However, the Bangladesh captain dismissed those claims and insisted that her decision was purely driven by her desire to contribute more as a batter.

“No, it’s totally (false that I left because I was hurt). As a batter, as a player, I have a lot more to give to my country and my team. So I want to focus on that, and that’s why I made this decision,” Nigar told reporters after Bangladesh’s heavy defeat to India in the Asian Games semi-final.

Bangladesh’s batting woes continued as they suffered a 114-run defeat against India at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Sunday, September 20, ending their hopes of winning the gold medal. After being asked to bat first, India posted a mammoth 195/4, with Shafali Verma smashing her maiden T20I century. The opener remained unbeaten on 100 off just 49 balls.

Bangladesh struggled from the outset in the chase and were eventually bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs. Nigar admitted that India’s imposing total put additional pressure on their batting unit and exposed their lack of depth.

“When you’re chasing a big total, this kind of collapse is natural. With slightly better bowling, we could have restricted them to fewer runs,” said Nigar.

She also acknowledged that the batters needed to take greater responsibility, pointing out that the innings could have been different had one of their top-order players stayed until the end.

“When a team collapses for so few runs, we as batters definitely took no responsibility. If even one top-order batter had stayed till the end, we could have added more runs,” she added.

Nigar also highlighted Bangladesh’s lack of preparation ahead of the Asian Games as a major concern. Their training schedule was disrupted by rain, leaving the team with only two days of practice in Japan. Their opening game against China was washed out, while a planned warm-up fixture against the same opposition also failed to take place.

“We have virtually no training facilities here. Had we played that first match against China, it would have been much better for the whole team. But we missed that opportunity too. Overall, I’ll say the entire team played very poor cricket,” said Nigar.

Bangladesh confident ahead of Bronze medal match

Bangladesh will now face Pakistan in the bronze medal match at the 2026 Asian Games. Despite the disappointing semi-final defeat, Nigar remains confident about her team’s chances, citing their strong record against Pakistan.

“We have a good record against Pakistan. There is a sense of positivity there,” she concluded.