Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty has welcomed the decision to stage the three-match WODI series against Sri Lanka outside Dhaka, saying the Rajshahi wicket should encourage free-scoring cricket as the Tigresses gear up for the Women’s T20 World Cup in England in June.

The 12-team tournament in Thailand also featured Bangladesh, who were making their debut but exited at the group stage after three defeats, while hosts Thailand fell in the quarterfinals.

Sri Lanka women’s cricket team, led by Chamari Athapaththu, arrived in Bangladesh on Friday for a white-ball series against the hosts, set to begin in Rajshahi on April 20.

On Saturday Eta became the first female coach to lead a Bundesliga team when she was appointed as interim coach at Union.

Bangladesh women’s team are set to depart for Rajshahi on Monday for a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka which will kickstart their campaign in the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 cycle, the qualifying competition for the next Women’s ODI World Cup.

Weightlifter Mabia Akter Simanta has been handed a two-year suspension from both international and domestic competitions after the two-time South Asian Games gold medalist tested positive for banned substances in a doping test.

Bangladesh Cricket Board announced women’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, with 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Juairiya Ferdous receiving her maiden call-up.

World number four Iga Swiatek on Thursday announced that she was working with Francisco Roig, who used to coach Rafael Nadal.

Japan abruptly axed Nils Nielsen as coach on Thursday just 12 days after taking them to Women's Asian Cup glory, with football chiefs accusing him of being "lax" and "lacking passion".

Arpita framed the defeat as part of a learning curve for a side playing their first-ever match in the competition.

Elias Sunny (Test & T20I), Mustafizur Rahman (Test & ODI), Ben Foakes (ODI & Test), Lungi Ngidi (Test & T20I) are the only other cricketers to have achieved this rare feat in the history of the game, making Reyneke the first women's cricketer to get to the milestone.

She handed Gauff her first career defeat in a hardcourt final.

Their victories mean both the ATP and WTA could see a "Sunshine Double" in the same year for the first time since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka swept the two prestigious hardcourt tournaments back in 2016.

Ahead of the match, the team completed their third training session on Tuesday morning at Boonyachinda Stadium.

The Japanese team stacked with English-based players were invincible in their run to the final, fluid across the park and defending well to steamroll everyone in front of them.

FIFA decreed Thursday that all women's teams competing in world tournaments must have a woman head or assistant coach on the bench.

Two members have remained in Australia, but the rest of the team completed a long journey back on Wednesday via Malaysia, Oman and then to Istanbul and Turkey's overland Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing with Iran.

The two players are being housed at an undisclosed location and receiving support from the government and the Iranian diaspora community in Australia.

The clash in Sydney on Wednesday will pit the two highest scoring teams of the tournament, with Japan blasting 24 goals in their four games to date and South Korea 16.

Defensive lynchpin Carpenter and star striker Kerr are in Perth preparing to face China in the semi-finals of the continental competition on Tuesday.