Sarmin Sultana replaces Taj Nehar in Bangladesh Women's squad for Asia Cup and Asian Games

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday, August 17, named a 15-member Bangladesh Women's squad for two upcoming tournaments: the ACC Women's Asia Cup 2026, scheduled in Dubai, UAE, and the 20th Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The single most significant personnel change is the inclusion of Sarmin Sultana at the expense of Taj Nehar for both assignments.

Chief selector Sazzad Ahmed Shipon confirmed the squad on the same day. Nehar, 28, has accumulated 44 runs across eight T20Is and was dropped owing to insufficient output from the opening position. She had been part of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 squad announced in May 2026 and appeared in one match during the July series against South Africa.

Sarmin, a 32-year-old right-handed batter, returned to international cricket after a seven-year absence when Bangladesh hosted Sri Lanka in May 2026. Across that series she scored 42 runs in three WODIs and finished unbeaten in the third WT20I. Nehar had been preferred over Sarmin for the T20 World Cup 2026 squad in May, making the selectors' reversal a clear statement about the balance they now want at the top of the batting order.

The ACC Women's Asia Cup 2026 gets under way on August 28, 2026, with every fixture at Dubai International Stadium. Bangladesh have been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against Indonesia on August 31, before meeting Sri Lanka on September 6 and the UAE on September 8. The tournament final is set for September 13, 2026.

Cricket at the 20th Asian Games will be contested in T20I format. Bangladesh's first fixture is a quarter-final against China at Korogi Athletic Park on September 17, 2026. Should they progress through the semifinal, they will meet either India or Japan in the next round. Both the bronze medal match and the gold medal final are scheduled for September 22, 2026.

Nigar Sultana Joty (C), Nahida Akter (VC), Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sarmin Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Sultana Khatun, Shanjida Akther Maghla, and Fariha Islam Trisna