A New Era Begins for Bangladesh Women’s Cricket

Bangladesh women’s cricket is set to enter a new chapter, with different captains leading the team in different formats. Nahida Akter has replaced Nigar Sultana as the T20 captain, while Sobhana Mostary has been appointed vice-captain.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the T20 leadership appointments in a press release on Sunday. Ms. Nahida and Ms. Sobhana have been given the responsibilities for an initial period of one year. Ms. Nigar will continue to lead the team in ODIs.

Ms. Nahida is Bangladesh’s fifth T20 captain. The left-arm spinner, who is nearly 26, succeeds Salma Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed. After Bangladesh’s disappointing performance at the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai last month, Ms. Nigar said she would step down as T20 captain after the Asian Games in Japan. Bangladesh also failed to achieve success at the Asian Games, finishing the competition without a medal for the first time.

The BCB has now appointed a new captain within about four weeks. The decision came as little surprise, as Ms. Nahida had served as Ms.  Nigar’s deputy in both ODIs and T20Is since 2023. Ms. Sobhana, who recently scored a record-breaking century in an ODI during Bangladesh’s tour of Australia, will serve as Ms. Nahida’s deputy.

Bangladesh will compete in the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy in Thailand next month. They have been placed in Group B alongside Zimbabwe, Thailand, the Netherlands and Pakistan. The tournament, beginning on November 12, will mark the start of the new leadership partnership between Ms. Nahida and Ms. Sobhana.

Before the BCB officially announced the appointments, Ms. Nigar congratulated Ms.  Nahida on social media and reaffirmed her commitment to the team. “Heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Nahida, the new captain of the T20 team. I wish her all the best in this new responsibility. I believe she will play an important role in taking the team forward with her ability and leadership. Our roles in the team have changed, but our passion for the red-and-green flag remains the same, and so does our goal—to take Bangladesh cricket further forward.

I stand by Ms. Nahida as a teammate, and I will continue to do so. I am always ready to provide whatever support I can for the team’s success. We have come a long way together. I hope we will write many more success stories together in the Bangladesh jersey.”

Ms. Nahida has been one of Bangladesh’s most consistent performers in both white-ball formats. In nearly 11 years of her career, she has taken 132 wickets in 113 T20 matches. She remains the only Bangladeshi bowler to have reached the 100-wicket milestone in the format.

Overall, Ms. Nahida ranks 11th on the list of leading wicket-takers in women’s international T20 cricket. Among players from full-member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the experienced left-arm spinner ranks fifth.

Ms. Sobhana has played T20 cricket for nearly seven years, but her form this year has been particularly encouraging compared with her first six years in the format. In 25 matches in 2026 so far, she has scored 574 runs at an average of 26.09 and a strike rate of 108.5.