Bangladesh will aim to open their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign on a positive note when they face debutants Netherlands in their Group A opener at Edgbaston, Birmingham, today.

However, the challenge is expected to be stern, with the Tigresses hoping their batters can rise to the occasion in a tournament that has already seen high scores, while also putting behind a few disappointing results in the build-up.

Since arriving last month, Bangladesh have endured defeats against Scotland and the Netherlands in a tri-series, followed by losses to New Zealand and Ireland in warm-up matches, exposing inconsistencies -- particularly in their batting.

Despite that, skipper Nigar Sultana Joty remains confident about starting the tournament strongly.

“I think it will be a good opportunity for us to start well in this tournament. We played against them and they are very good in these conditions, so we really want to bring our A-game,” Joty told reporters in Birmingham on Saturday.

She stressed that the batting unit will need to take greater responsibility, especially given the run-fest conditions seen so far in the competition.

“We’ll be expecting a lot of runs because we watched yesterday’s game, and batters have been dominating throughout. So we’re expecting that our batters will do the same,” she added.

Bangladesh’s campaign goal remains clear: breaking out of the group stage for the first time. Drawn in a tough Group A alongside Australia, India, Pakistan, and South Africa, the Tigresses have historically struggled at this level, managing just three wins in 25 matches across six previous editions.

“We want to maintain a positive mindset and ensure our intent is always strong. We have seen many times that when our batters score well, the whole scenario of the team changes. Our bowlers have consistently performed well in every tournament, whether ODI or T20 cricket.

“From that perspective, our first target is to improve our batting performances. If we can do that, I believe we can have a much better tournament. In the last World Cup, we managed only one win, so our goal is to improve on that record and secure more victories this time,” Joty said.

Meanwhile, Netherlands captain Babette de Leede is embracing her side’s underdog status in their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup appearance, while eyeing opportunities to spring surprises.

“We are coming in as the underdog, and we would like to cause some upsets, and I am sure we will do our best,” she said.