‘Can’t use wickets as excuse’: Pinky on World Cup preparations

Bangladesh's batting often leans on skipper Nigar Sultana Joty, but much will also depend on experienced opener Farzana Haque Pinky in the ICC Women's World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2. Farzana -- Bangladesh's top run-scorer in the previous edition in New Zealand in 2022, with 173 runs in seven matches -- recently spoke to The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan about preparations and expectations for the marquee event. Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
The Daily Star (DS): How satisfied are you with overall preparation?
Farzana Haque Pinky (FHP): We've been preparing for a long time, but… ultimately, the quality of our preparation will show in the World Cup, which arrives every four years -- unlike the [biennial] T20 World Cup -- so we're determined to make it count.
DS: You're playing in the Challenge Cup at Savar's BKSP. Is it ideal preparation for the sporting wickets you'll see at the World Cup?
FHP: At first, the [BKSP] wickets were too bad, but the groundsmen worked hard to make those playable. I've built the mindset that we can't use pitches as an excuse, having played on these conditions for 15 years. Australia and New Zealand always bat on flat wickets, and that's why their mindset is different. We must prepare by adjusting to what we get.
DS: What are this team's strengths and weaknesses?
FHP: Our strength is that everyone knows we can only succeed as a team, not as individuals. Joty is a fantastic player, but she knows she can't win matches alone. In our victories, contributions have come from across the side. We don't have a super batter striking at 100-150 to finish games single-handedly, but our spin attack is world-class. The weakness is pace -- if the board invests in developing fast bowlers, we could become a much more complete side.
DS: You're often criticised for low strike rate. How do you see it?
FHP: At home, we usually play on slow, low wickets. My role is to anchor the innings. I accept I take time to settle, but my focus is always on putting the team in a strong position. Since the West Indies tour, I've worked on rotating the strike and improving my powerplay batting, even taking help from personal coaches. In the qualifiers, you could see progress; especially in Powerplay.
DS: This will be your second World Cup. Your goal?
FHP: We are going with high expectations. I won't claim we'll do something extraordinary, but if everyone contributes, we can achieve plenty.
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