'Such a collapse is normal under pressure': Joty justifies Bangladesh being skittled for 81

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty has described her side's batting collapse as a fairly normal outcome, after a heavy 114 run defeat to India ended Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the final of the women's cricket event at the Asian Games.

India, having won the toss and elected to bat first, posted a formidable 195 for four in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, built around an unbeaten century from Shafali Verma, the first hundred by any batter in women's cricket at these Games.

Chasing that target, Bangladesh collapsed badly, losing early wickets before being bowled out for just 81 in 15.4 overs, with only Sultana Khatun managing to reach double figures among the remaining batters.

Speaking after the defeat, Joty acknowledged the scale of the gap between the two sides, while insisting Bangladesh's own performance had fallen well short of what was needed on the day.

"There is a big difference between India and us. But we should have played better," Joty said.

She was notably matter of fact when discussing the batting collapse itself, describing such capitulations as a fairly predictable outcome once a side finds itself chasing a target of this magnitude.

"When you are chasing such a big total, a batting collapse like this happens, it is a normal thing. But I think if we had bowled a little better, perhaps we could have restricted them to a few fewer runs," she said.

Despite that explanation, Joty stopped short of excusing the manner of the collapse entirely, pointing instead to a collective failure among the batting group to take ownership of the situation once wickets began falling.

"Absolutely not. Look, when a team collapses for such a low score, we batters actually failed to take any responsibility," she added.

She expanded further on the pressures facing a chasing side pursuing a total beyond 180, suggesting a longer stay from any single top order batter might have changed the complexion of the innings entirely.

"When you are chasing more than 180, there is a different kind of pressure, that I have to add a lot of runs in the powerplay. Even then, I would say if one of the top order batters could have stayed until the end, perhaps we could have added a few more runs," she said.

Joty also touched on preparation issues heading into the tournament, revealing that limited training facilities and poor weather had restricted Bangladesh's ability to properly acclimatise before the competition began.

"It is true that we actually did not get any training facilities here. There was a lot of rain one day, and we got only two days to practise. The condition of the ground here is not that good either," she said.

She suggested an earlier fixture against China might have offered better preparation, though ultimately accepted that Bangladesh simply failed to capitalise on whatever limited opportunities were available before this semi final.

Bangladesh's actual quarter final against China had been abandoned entirely due to a persistently wet outfield, with Bangladesh advancing only on account of their higher ranking at the time.

A separate friendly match against the same opposition, arranged for Saturday to make up for that lost preparation time, also fell through after China simply failed to turn up, despite Bangladesh being present and ready to play within the allotted window, denying the Tigresses yet another chance to sharpen their game before the semi final.

"If we had played the match against China on the first day, perhaps it would have been a little better for the batters. But we could not make use of that opportunity. There is no hesitation in saying that, as a team, we played very poor cricket," she said.

Asked about the toss, Joty conceded it had played a significant role, explaining that batting first without the pressure of a target would likely have suited Bangladesh far better given the nature of the surface.

"Of course, the toss plays a big role. We were also thinking that if we won the toss, we would bat because of a track like this. When you bat without pressure, the situation is different," she said.

Joty had already stepped down from the T20 captaincy shortly before the tournament, informing the Bangladesh Cricket Board of her decision via email as the squad prepared to travel to Japan, following disappointing results at the recent Asia Cup.

Reflecting on that decision after Sunday's defeat, she explained her focus had shifted back towards her own batting, insisting she still had plenty left to offer the national side purely as a player going forward.

"I think I still have a lot to give to the country or the team as a batter and as a cricketer. So I want to focus a little more on that, which is why I made this decision," she said.

She remained cautiously optimistic about Bangladesh's remaining chances at the tournament, pointing to the side's favourable record against Pakistan in the upcoming third place play off as a genuine opportunity for a medal.

"There is one more match, and of course there is an opportunity to do well. We have a good record against Pakistan. Recently, we played well and won matches in the World Cup," she said.

Bangladesh will now turn their attention to the third place play off against Pakistan, still harbouring hopes of returning home with a bronze medal.