Reports: Bangladesh’s Salma Khatun and Jahanara Alam to take part in Women’s T20 Challenge

Bangladesh women’s cricketers Jahanara Alam and Salma Khatun are set to be a part of the upcoming Women’s T20 Challenge. The three-team tournament is scheduled to get underway in Dubai on November 4 with the final to take place on November 9. The names of the two Tigresses cricketers haven’t been confirmed though.

However, as per Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the Khulna-born Jahanara will play in the tournament again. In fact, if reports are to be believed, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also gotten in touch with Alam and Khatun.

“BCCI has contacted with Jahanara and Salma. We have talked with them whether they want to play in the tournament or whether there is any program for the national team. If they want to play, their team may be finalized in the next few days,” BCB sources told the Business Standard.

Jahanara Alam shining in Women’s T20 Challenge

Jahanara, de facto, is the only Bangladesh cricketer to play in the Women’s T20 challenge. Last year, she was a part of the Velocity, led by Mithali Raj. In the final at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, she picked up the wickets of Sophie Devine and Natalie Sciver.

She castled both batters and one of the deliveries also became the ‘Ball of the WIPL’. She wouldn’t have gotten a chance to play in the tournament in the first place had the Australian women’s cricketers not backed out.

It opened up the doors on Jahanara, one of Bangladesh’s lethal bowlers across formats. Aussie skipper Meg Lanning, Megan Schutt, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney played in the one-off exhibition match back in 2018 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

As far as Salma is concerned, she is currently the skipper of their national team and also led them in the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. In T20Is, she has 66 wickets to her name from 74 matches at an economy of 4.84. She is also the all-time highest wicket-taker for her nation in the shortest format.

In ODI cricket, Salma has 35 wickets from 34 matches to show for her efforts. She is no mug with the bat either, scoring 379 and 531 in ODIs and T20Is respectively.