Jahanara Alaim (L) raised severe allegations against Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana and the national board. (BCB)Out-of-favour Bangladesh women’s cricket star Jahanara Alam has raised serious allegations against the national board and captain Nigar Sultana Joty following their recent ODI World Cup campaign.
Speaking to Bangladesh-based newspaper Kaler Kantha, the 32-year-old Alam said that the current captain Joty “beats up” junior cricketers in the team “a lot.”
A veteran of 52 ODIs and 83 T20Is for Bangladesh, Alam last featured for Bangladesh against Ireland in December 2024 and was subsequently dropped from the side.
“This is nothing new. Joty 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.”
Alam also recounted how she was phased out, claiming the politics in the system has affected most players in the team.
“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-Covid 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.”
In January 2025, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had announced that Alam had requested for a break from the national side due to mental health reasons and even requested to be kept out of the central contracts. Currently settled in Sydney, Australia, Alam is unlikely to feature for the national side.
The BCB recently refuted Alam’s claims through a press release.
“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 added that it believed Alam’s comments were “deliberate, ill-intentioned and seemingly aimed at undermining the spirit and confidence of a team that continues to represent the country with pride.”
Led by Sultana, the Bangladesh side recently finished seventh in the eight-team World Cup, registering a solitary win over Pakistan in their opening game in Colombo.
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