The ninth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup is set to begin today with Bangladesh taking on Scotland at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The match will start at 4:00 PM (BST).
Originally, the event was scheduled to be held in Bangladesh but several participating nations imposed travel restrictions due to political unrest stemming from a recent anti-discrimination student movement.
In the pre-tournament warm-up matches, Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka by 33 runs but bounced back to defeat Pakistan by 23 runs. Scotland on the other hand, beat Pakistan by eight wickets before losing to Sri Lanka by five wickets.
For Bangladesh, Dilara Akter is expected to open the batting alongside either Sultana Khatun or Shathi Rani, followed by Murshida Khatun and skipper Nigar Sultana Joty.
Bangladesh boasts a strong group of all-rounders including vice-captain Nahida Akter, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan and Fahima Khatun, which is seen as their biggest strength. Two out of the pacer trio-Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam and Disha Biswas-will also feature in today's match.
This match will mark the 100th T20i for Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty, making her the first Women player from Bangladesh to reach this milestone. She has expressed her excitement to mark the occasion in style as she hinted before leaving for the tournament.
Scotland, who making their debut in a World Cup in any format, are eager to make an impression by beating Bangladesh. The Wildcats bring a balanced team of youth and experience, with players like Kathryn Bryce, Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce, Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey and Rachel Slater, all of whom played vital roles during the qualifier event.
Bangladesh has faced Scotland in four T20i matches before today and won all four, which makes them the clear favorites in this encounter.
The Sharjah pitch generally favors spinners, with slow turners typically having the upper hand. However, batters can take advantage of the ground's shorter boundaries.
The weather forecast predicts a sunny day with hot and humid conditions and the team winning the toss will likely prefer to bat first and post a strong total.
