World Cup Team Guide: Underdogs Bangladesh ready to roar
Bangladesh arrive in England hopeful of making the last four on the back of some recent impressive form, but, were they to do so, it would still rank as a major upset to the established order.
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Bangladesh arrive in England hopeful of making the last four on the back of some recent impressive form, but, were they to do so, it would still rank as a major upset to the established order.
A couple of trophy wins over genuine contenders seems a more achievable ambition.
Mashrafe Mortaza’s side gave a glimpse of their capacity to compete with cricket’s elite nations when they advanced to the Champions Trophy semi-finals two years ago from a strong group featuring England, Australia and New Zealand (albeit weather assisted).
That that memorable campaign came in England feeds in to the group’s confidence, and backed up a maiden World Cup quarter-final berth in 2015.
Bangladesh’s group stage win against England four years ago — admittedly a very different English side to the current hosts — proved to be a catalyst for the side, boosting their belief and triggering a sustained spell of success.
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Between April 2015 and October 2016, Bangladesh won five one-day international series in a row against Pakistan, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
All of those series were played at home, but it was still a huge sign of progress for a team considered international whipping boys in recent memory.
Bangladesh Squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019!#CWC19 #RiseOfTheTigers #Tigers pic.twitter.com/pik24tNFGj
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) April 16, 2019
They were humbled in both Test matches and ODIs by New Zealand earlier this year, but recovered to beat West Indies three times in this month’s triangular series in Ireland and are currently ranked seventh in the world.
Mashrafe says a semi-final place is their goal, but he admits it will be tough to get that far given the round-robin nature of the first stage of the 10-team tournament.
“At the moment I think going to the semi-finals will be big challenge, but nothing is impossible,” Mashrafe said before leaving Dhaka for England.
“Of course it is possible, difficult though. In the past a win over one big team in the group stage might have been enough, it would have made a comeback difficult for them. But here we have nine games.”
It is a task that would be made even greater if a back spasm injury to star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in the recent series in Ireland flares up again at any point.
STRENGTHS
In their favour is an experienced core of impressive captain Mashrafe, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.
The team boasts togetherness and a consistency of selection that should help them navigate an arduous nine match group stage.
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A canny bowling attack led by Mustafizur Rahman — arguably one of the most skilled quicks in the world — is capable of restricting the excesses of all but the very best batting line ups, either to keep check on a first innings score or defend a modest total.
They won’t be challenging England in the scoring stakes, but carry a quiet confidence they can defend a score of around 300.
WEAKNESSES
In an era of the 400 plus score, Bangladesh may lack enough big hitters to stay in the contest should their bowlers have an off day.
They have successfully chased a 300-plus target only twice, against low-ranked Zimbabwe and Scotland.
There is also a heavy reliance on the top order batsmen staying around for the bulk of the match. Should early wickets fall it will expose a soft middle order. And they are missing a genuine closer to strike big down the order in the final overs.
It also remains to be seen if Bangladesh’s players have completely recovered mentally and emotionally after they narrowly avoided being caught up in the New Zealand mosque attacks in March.
Many of the squad were reported to need, entirely understandably, counselling to deal with the horrific experience before returning to domestic cricket.
KEY PLAYERS
Mashrafe Mortaza
Bangladesh look to their experienced captain for inspiration and leadership on the field and his ability to make the best of the resources at his disposal is of vital importance to their chances. At 35 and with creaking knees this will likely be his last major engagement as skipper, having already secured a place in the country’s parliament.
Tamim Iqbal
A rock at the top of Bangladesh’s batting order, Iqbal is a dependable presence on whose form much depends. More an accumulator than a freewheeling hitter, he nonetheless has a three figure score in him.
Shakib Al Hasan
All Bangladesh will be praying for his fitness to stand up to the seven week marathon that is this World Cup. A genuine big match player, he is called upon to deliver with both bat and ball from the No. 3 position.
Mustafizur Rahman
A technically excellent quick who relies on placement rather than raw pace. His variations and hard to pick slower ball brings an element of calm at the death.
PREDICTION
A better side than many casual observers give them credit for, the odds are nonetheless stacked against them. Unlikely to trouble the top of the standings their most telling impact may well be in proving killer of more fancied sides’ ambitions.
FULL SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Abu Jayed
FIXTURES
Sunday, June 2: South Africa (The Oval, 7.30pm)
Wednesday, June 5: New Zealand (The Oval, 10.30pm)
Saturday, June 8: England (Cardiff, 7.30pm)
Tuesday, June 11: Sri Lanka (Bristol, 7.30pm)
Monday, June 17: West Indies (Taunton, 7.30pm
Thursday, June 20: Australia (Trent Bridge, 7.30pm)
Monday, June 24: Afghanistan (Southampton, 7.30pm)
Tuesday, July 2: India (Edgbaston, 7.30pm)
Friday, July 5: Pakistan (Lord’s, 10.30pm)
Originally published as World Cup Team Guide: Underdogs Bangladesh ready to roar
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