Joty called the allegations baseless and driven by personal grudges.
Bangladesh women’s cricket team skipper Nigar Sultana Joty has strongly denied former teammate Jahanara Alam's allegations of misconduct, calling them baseless and driven by personal grudges.
In an interview with Bangladesh-based newspaper Kaler Kantha, Jahanara recently labelled serious charges against Joty, accusing her of physically assaulting junior players, even during the recently held Women’s World Cup in India.
Jahanara, a veteran of 52 ODIs and 83 T20Is for Bangladesh, also claimed that senior players Nahida Akter and Ritu Moni had conspired with Joty to oust her from the national team.
According to Jahanara, some juniors felt pressured to follow Joty’s command or risk being slapped, and that latter began misusing her power after becoming captain.
Responding to these claims, Joty said Jahanara had painted a wrong picture of the team environment after being dropped from the squad. She further stated that Jahanara was trying to gain attention by spreading lies at a time when Bangladesh women’s cricket is experiencing one of its brightest phases.
“Just because I’m not saying anything doesn’t mean I can’t speak, or that there’s nothing to say! This team belongs to all of us. It’s painful to see so many negative statements, personal grudges, anger, and harsh language when the team is actually going through its best phase,” Joty said in a post on Facebook.
“I’m really surprised because many of those making such comments once loved and protected this team, helped build it up, and witnessed both its triumphs and failures!”
“When someone is dropped from the team or goes out of form, and a new option replaces them, suddenly everything about the team — its people, its environment — starts to seem bad to them!” she added.
“Respect goes to those who have continued to trust this team and its members! Even if spreading rumours brings temporary attention, I hope it won’t have any lasting impact,” she further remarked.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board refuted all the charges labelled by Jahanara, saying that the remarks were “deliberate, ill-intentioned and seemingly aimed at undermining the spirit and confidence of a team that continues to represent the country with pride.”
The press release read: “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."