Bangladesh cricket has been hit by internal controversy after out-of-favour pacer Jahanara Alam levelled serious accusations against current national women’s team captain Nigar Sultana. Jahanara alleged that Sultana has a reputation for physically and verbally mistreating junior players, particularly during the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), however, has dismissed the claims, calling them baseless.
Jahanara, who has taken 108 wickets across white-ball formats for Bangladesh, has not featured for the national side since December 2024 and was left out of the squad for the 2025 World Cup. Speaking to Kaler Kantha, she claimed that multiple juniors had informed her about physical abuse within the team environment.
“This is nothing new. Jyoti (current national team captain Nigar Sultana) beats up the juniors a lot. Even during this World Cup, the juniors told me, ‘No, I won’t do this again. Then I’ll have to get slapped again.’ I heard from some people, ‘I got beaten up yesterday.’ Even during the Dubai tour, she called a junior into the room and slapped her,” Jahanara said.
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She further alleged that such incidents have created fear and hesitation among players, leading some to avoid participating in training or competitive matches.
Jahanara also claimed that the team environment is selective and unfair, accusing the system of favouring only a small group.
“Actually, I am not alone, everyone in the Bangladesh team is more or less a victim. Everyone’s suffering is different. Here, one or two people get advanced facilities and in some cases, only one person gets them. In 2021, the process of eliminating seniors like me along with a few others from the post-Corona camp began. Then I was made the captain of one of the three teams in the Bangladesh Games. The captains of the other two teams were Jyoti (Nigar Sultana) and Sharmin Sultana. The pressure on seniors started from then on,” she added.
BCB Responds
The Bangladesh Cricket Board issued a formal statement rejecting the allegations, stating that the accusations were entirely untrue and damaging to the team’s morale.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken note of recent remarks made in the media by a former member of the Bangladesh Women’s National Cricket Team, in which she has made a series of allegations against the current National Team Captain, players, staff and team management.”
“The BCB categorically and strongly refutes these allegations, which are baseless, fabricated and devoid of any truth. The Board finds it unfortunate that such derogatory and scandalous claims have been made at a time when the Bangladesh Women’s Team is showing commendable progress and unity on the international stage,” the board stated.
Bangladesh’s World Cup Campaign
Under Nigar Sultana’s leadership, Bangladesh had a difficult run in the 2025 Women’s World Cup. After winning their opening match against Pakistan, the team failed to register another victory and finished seventh in the standings with three points from seven matches.
