Out-of-favour Bangladesh cricketer Jahanara Alam has labelled serious allegations against national women’s team captain Nigar Sultana Joty, accusing her of physically assaulting junior players, even during the recently held Women’s World Cup.
The claims have stirred outrage across the country’s cricket circles, though the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has dismissed the allegations.
In an interview with Bangladesh-based newspaper Kaler Kantha, Jahanara stated that Joty’s “beating up juniors” was an open secret within the team. The 32-year-old added that she got to know about a similar incident during the 2025 World Cup, and claimed that during Bangladesh’s tour of Dubai before the ICC showpiece, one of the juniors was also “slapped.”
“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," Jahanara Alam said.
Jahanara, a veteran of 52 ODIs and 83 T20Is for Bangladesh, also talked about her ouster from the national team, alleging that politics within the Bangladesh cricket setup has pushed quite a few talented players on the sidelines.
“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.”
Having taken a mental health break from international cricket, Alam now stays in Sydney, Australia. The Bangladesh board, however, refuted all the charges labelled by her, 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."
