One name stood yet above all others when in October 2023, The Bangladesh Cricket Board selected a 15-women ODI women’s squad for the home series against Sri Lanka due to be held in April 2026. After 7 years Bangladesh included Sarmin Sultana in the ODI squad to face UP from Walsh, and that one selection was what grabbed the headlines of women’s cricket according to the subcontinent on the tour from Sri Lanka. The 32-year-old right-handed batter was given an international recall nobody had anticipated coming so quickly, but one that makes perfect sense given Bangladesh’s rebuilding phase following a tough ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign. With her return, this is more than just a squad change. It signals a conscious change of approach to continue by team management ahead of a new cycle in the ICC Women’s Championship that leads towards the subsequent World Cup, to be held in 2029.
A Historic Recall
Sarmin Sultana’s story: How Bangladesh name wicketkeeper confirming ODI squad for Sri Lankan series 7 years after debut is one of resilience, waiting and the perks of continuing to perform in domestic cricket when it seems international doors have been shut.
Having last played an ODI in November 2019 against Pakistan, Sarmin Sultana featured for Bangladesh last week on the T20 Asia Cup match. It was her 13th ODI and alas, none could foresee the absence that followed. Her stage, rather well-set domestic cricket circuit, she carried on performing for over six-plus years without letting her international dreams die down.
The last time she played a developmental match came back in early 2026, when Bangladesh were the runners-up behind India in the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 tournament. That tournament was a way for the selectors to monitor form and Sarmin’s performances clearly made enough of an impression for her to be called back in the ODI fold. The message from team management was loud and clear: domestic and developmental competitions will be rewarded consistently, irrespective of how long an international appearance is separated by.
Bangladesh’s Squad Changes from the World Cup Setup
Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lanka series after 7-year absence along with two other changes from the World Cup squad that toured India late 2025. The Bangladesh selectors reshuffled the squad for this home series by including three and omitting another three.
New Faces: Sarmin Sultana, Sultana Khatun and Juairiya Ferdous (3)
Retained players: Rubya Haider, Nishita Akter, and Sumaiya Akter were dropped.
The experienced Sultana Khatun also returns to strengthen the spin resources of the attack after last appearing in an ODI in January 2025. She is unflappable and can use conditions at home to her advantage as spin tends to dominate the subcontinent; therefore always a trusted hand on these shores. The 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Juairiya Ferdous was rewarded with her first-ever call up in ODI. She had previously played seven T20 Internationals, including at the ICC Womens World Twenty20 Qualifier in Nepal earlier in 2026; this will be her first ODI for Bangladesh. After spilling an unchallenging catch at slip, she remains the only uncapped ODI player in the entire 15-member squad.
The Full 15-Member Bangladesh ODI Squad
| Role | Player |
| Captain | Nigar Sultana Joty |
| Vice-Captain | Nahida Akter |
| Batters | Fargana Haque, Sobhana Mostary, Sharmin Akter, Sarmin Sultana, Shanjida Akther Maghla |
| All-rounders | Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Marufa Akter, Rabeya Khan |
| Bowling All-rounders | Sultana Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna |
| Wicketkeeper-Batter | Juairiya Ferdous |
The squad is led by captain Nigar Sultana Joty and vice-captained by Nahida Akter. Bangladesh’s experienced quartet of Fargana Haque, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni and Shorna Akter have been retained to provide the batting and bowling stability that Bangladesh need as they start a new ICC Championship cycle.
Sarmin Sultana
If you don´t understand the importance of Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lanka series after 7-year gap, then you have to know about the career journey of (her).
Being right-handed batsman, Sarmin Sultana play batting middle order for Bangladesh. And each time Esam was different she debuted in ODI early in the 2010s and dripped experience over a handful of international appearances that stretched out for years. As an aside, her previous ODI was against Pakistan in November 2019. Certainly her record doesn’t jump off the page, but she brings the right temperament, can hold up an innings and is technically pretty sound a blend that rustles together effectively amid threats from opposition bowlers.
During her time off the ODIs grounds, Sarmin was never completely out of contention for national selection. Although she was a regular feature of domestic cricket, she also kept her place in developmental sides when possible. It says a lot about her that she is so willing to keep playing at the lower levels even without knowing if and when an international call-up might happen.
At 32, she brings experience that nothing else in the squad can truly replicate. That’s the combination of maturity with the raw hunger a player like Juairiya Ferdous can bring that Bangladesh’s selectors
Bangladesh’s World Cup Disappointment and the Need for Rebuilding
Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lanka series after seven-year break reads an update on the ODI women’s cricket operations and some of Janagaharu Kumorathkshamaata’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign context, however the other headlines follow quickly.
In that tournament, Bangladesh placed seventh out of eight teams. Having only beaten Pakistan in their opening match, a seven-wicket victory that gave faint hope of a competitive campaign. But the team had lost all of their next six games and found themselves in the bottom half of the table. Their batting lineup was particularly unpredictable as they failed to either build partnerships or post any sort of competitive total that would place the bowling attack in a position to thrive.
This batting fragility was also main the most rational reason why Sarmin got called up again. The team management knew they needed a batter who brings calmness and experience to the middle order in those situations, that one steadying hand able to smooth the bumps when wickets tumble at regular intervals and scoreboard pressure mounts. Sarmin fits that profile.
Series Context
It is also what makes the home series with Sri Lanka, additionally special in its own historical sense. The announcement was followed by confirmation that Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lanka series after 7-year gap mark from the ever only second ODI ever played between these two nations will also assume the significance of being organised on Bangladeshi soil, a first.
In 2023, Sri Lanka hosted the first home bilateral series and won. A considerably more dominant story in regards to their head-to-head record against Bangladesh goes down on paper in ODIs. Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka ODI Head to HeadSri Lanka are unbeaten against Bangladesh in ODIs, winning 3 of the 5 completed matches between the teams. In their most recent head-to-head clash at the 2025 World Cup, Sri Lanka held on for a seven-run victory.
The home series thus becomes both a rebuilding exercise and a real test for Bangladesh. This was the ideal scenario for them to secure a maiden ODI series win against Sri Lanka, particularly with Rajshahi being home conditions for them. All of the ODIs were held in Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, with every game beginning at 9:30 AM local time on April 20th, April 22nd and April 25th. The series came during the ICC Women’s Pro ODI league points cycle in the run-up to World Cup 2029.
Juairiya Ferdous
Although the headline dominated that Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lankan series after 7 years, it was cleverly followed by these sentiments regarding Juairiya Ferdous maiden ODI call-up.
Juairiya, 20, is a wicketkeeper-batter with some T20I experience to her credit. In early 2026, she played for Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal, where she showed decent form and adaptability to high-pressure situations. The fact that she has been picked for the ODI squad too indicates that the team management trusts her to do well across formats.
An exciting wicketkeeper-batter with IPL experience to boot, she introduces energy and variety into a side that has taken the deliberate decision of mixing youth in with returning veterans. The contrast between Sarmin’s experience and Juairiya’s youth is a tidy microcosm of the direction Bangladesh are heading towards as they reshape their squad for this new cycle
Sultana Khatun
Rounding out the rebuilt spin department is Sultana Khatun, another new addition. The off-spinner, who was sidelined from the World Cup squad recently and has not played an ODI game since January 2025, in a home format where her strengths are maximised. Pitches in Rajshahi are meant to be spin-friendly, which helps her bowling style and her ability to control the middle-overs makes her a dangerous weapon for captain Nigar Sultana Joty.
Bangladesh’s bowling attack is perhaps the strongest department of this side, even during tough times, and with Sultana Khatun, Nahida Akter and Fahima Khatun forming a genuine spin trio to go with what’s already been described as more depth than Bangladesh has ever had.
The T20I Series and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Preparation
Apart from the ODI leg, Bangladesh’s series against Sri Lanka also had notable implications on qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. After playing the three ODIs in Rajshahi, both teams moved to Sylhet for a three-match T20I series. The T20I matches, slated for April 28, April 30 and May 2 served as a preparation phase for the global tournament from June 12,2026.
So this made the entire Sri Lanka tour strategically defining on two fronts. Those ODIs were pivotal for the ICC Women’s Championship cycle also and in working out squad compositions. Those were followed by T20Is, the last little bit of practise for both ahead of the World Cup. In fact, for Bangladesh, the series had a dual purpose give Juairiya Ferdous more game time and test Sarmin Sultana’s reintegration into the ODI set-up as part of selection policy.
What Sarmin’s Return Signals for Bangladesh Women’s Cricket?
But in general, it sends more than just a message about one series that Bangladesh name Sarmin Sultana in ODI squad for Sri Lanka series after 7-year gap. It tells the domestic cricketers that playing patiently, and performing not just in Tests but also at lower levels, would get noticed. It serves as a message to younger players in the squad that experienced role models will be here, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them during key moments of development. It also sends a powerful message to the broader cricketing world about Bangladesh’s selectors being prepared to make bold calls when needs must in regard to options in their batting.
Bangladesh, with the long-term aim of the 2029 Women’s World Cup and clear short-term roadmap provided by the ICC Women’s Championship, are building steadily. To this end, Sarmin Sultana has returned to the role of a long-term building block rather than just an immediate fix despite three years passing since she was originally identified as one.
Conclusion
The story is everything that is interesting about this game: the long road of experience, the value of hard work since Sarmin Sultana’s ODI squad for a trip to Sri Lanka after 7-year hiatus. April 2026 had its hand extended to the Tigresses, as with a home series in Rajshahi, it offered both an opportunity for atonement where their World Cup fortunes were concerned but also a shot to beat Sri Lanka’s long unbeaten run in ODIs. At 32, Sarmin Sultana is back to find a team in transition, and your job is to bring the calmness and steadiness that could help steer that transition forward. Then, mixed with the dynamic all-round talent of Juairiya Ferdous and Sultana Khatun’s spin-artistry, made for what had been one of Bangladesh’s most intelligent selections in many years.
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