Lessons only matter if Bangladesh learn, says Joty after Australia sweep

Bangladesh's historic first-ever tour of Australia concluded as expected, with the visitors swept 3-0 in the three-match WODI series following an eight-wicket thrashing in the final game in Brisbane yesterday.

Each match exposed the glaring gulf in quality between Australia, the top-ranked side with seven World Cup titles, and Bangladesh, who are still striving to establish themselves at the highest level.

Australia, chasing in all three matches, finished each contest with more than 20 overs to spare. Even yesterday, the hosts romped to their 173-run target in just 22.3 overs.

Despite the stark difference in results, however, Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty found positives to take away from the tour.

“Each and every game, one of the players came up for the team. We have taken a lot of positives, and will try to improve in the future,” Joty said after yesterday’s game.

Joty’s assessment holds true to an extent, as the series saw Sobhana Mostary steal the limelight with a superb 118 off 134 balls in the second ODI – the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi batter in women’s ODIs.

She also shared a record-breaking 195-run partnership with Joty, who remained unbeaten on 74 in the same match, while Sharmin Akhter Supta, Shorna Akter, and Ritu Moni also made notable contributions.

However, Bangladesh struggled with the ball and in the field throughout the series, and while individual milestones are valuable, the real measure of progress will be whether the Tigresses can turn those lessons into tangible improvements.