Veteran Bangladesh women’s pacer Jahanara Alam said that captain Nigar Sultana Joty beats junior cricketers, an allegation that has been rejected by the national cricket board (BCB).

Alam, who last played for Bangladesh against Ireland in December last year, made the comments in an interview with Bangladesh daily Kaler Kantho.

“This is nothing new. Joty beats up the juniors a lot,” Alam said.

“Even during this World Cup, the juniors told me, ‘No, I won’t do this again.

The 32-year-old Alam, who has taken 48 wickets in 52 ODIs and 60 in 83 T20Is for Bangladesh, said that the team environment had worsened over the years, forcing her to step away for the sake of her mental health.

“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,” Alam said.

ALSO READ | Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: Destiny’s child Shafali turns setback into stardom

“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,” she added.

However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was quick to dismiss the allegations, calling it “baseless and unfortunate”.

“The BCB categorically and strongly refutes these allegations, which are baseless, fabricated and devoid of any truth,” it said in a statement.

“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,” adding that it has “found no evidence to support any of the claims made.”

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on Nov 05, 2025