Bangladesh have history in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to change in unfamiliar conditions Down Under, where they have only won seven of their 33 games.
Squad
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mustafizur Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Musaddek Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Nurul Hasan, Afif Hossain, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Litton Das, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Ya Reserves: Mohammad Saifuddin, Rishad Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, and Mahedi Hasan
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Best performance at the competition
Super 8 (2007)
Bangladesh had a successful opening match of the tournament thanks to a surprise victory over West Indies in Johannesburg. Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed provided leadership as Bangladesh successfully chased down 165 in 18 overs to win.
After losing to South Africa, they advanced to the Super 8 stage where they dropped all three of their games to Sri Lanka, Australia, and Pakistan, respectively.
One of their seven triumphs during the tournament’s seven editions is still their victory over the West Indies in their inaugural T20 World Cup game.
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Results of the previous ten Twenty20 international matches
L L L L W W L L L W (most recent first)
Fixtures
24 October, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, vs. A2
At the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, on October 27, against South Africa
vs. B1 (October 30), Brisbane’s The Gabba
at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, on November 2, against India
at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, on November 6, vs. Pakistan
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Crucial game
Against the qualifier teams (October 24 and 30)
Bangladesh has never defeated South Africa in a T20I, has only triumphed against Pakistan twice in 17 attempts, and has only defeated India once in 11 games. Bangladesh’s best chance to be real contenders to advance from the group, given the circumstances, would be to triumph over the other two qualifying teams.
Bangladesh will be aiming for high totals against these countries, banking on increased aggression at the top of the order with the bat after leaving out a few experienced players. Their revitalized pace attack seems promising on paper.
Bangladesh clearly struggles with pace. This is further demonstrated by their defeat in the exhibition game versus Afghanistan, where they were completely outplayed in the Powerplay. Bangladesh will need to bat with intent at the top and their spinners to perform well through the middle overs if they are to tackle teams to their full capacity.
Key Figure
While Shakib Al Hasan offers excellent balance, experience, and bowling prowess, Litton Das will be Bangladesh’s important player this season. The opener’s impressive performance in the previous tri-series in New Zealand is proof of his ability to get going on the bumpier surfaces against top quicks.
Das has accumulated 417 runs at an average of 29.78 and a strike rate of almost 140 since the conclusion of the previous T20 World Cup. Additionally, he has made three top-scores of fifty or more.
Bangladesh would really benefit if Litton could provide Shakib and players like Afif Hossain and Nurul Hasan with a solid platform.
Summary
A few last-minute substitutions in the tournament team’s lineup indicate some confusion about their ideal lineup. The team has seen significant changes in the past few months, with the departure of players like Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman and the dropping of Mahmud Ullah, the team’s previous captain for this campaign.
It is concerning that Bangladesh has had trouble recording consistent victories in this style, especially away from home. Only seven of Bangladesh’s 28 T20I games played away from home since 2021 have been victories.
This includes losses in both the T20Is and ODIs against Zimbabwe lately as well as series losses to New Zealand, the West Indies, and New Zealand in the past. Bangladesh’s recent T20I record has been further harmed by an early withdrawal from the Asia Cup.
In the last tri-series in New Zealand, there were moments of exceptional brilliance, but they ultimately lost all four of their games.
No one can dispute Bangladesh’s talent. The top and middle order have some potential with the bat, and there are also some strong spin options and exceptional pacers who are quickly assembling a potent team.
However, Bangladesh will need more than just strong individual performances to shock a few opponents in this competition. To defeat good teams, as Namibia and Scotland demonstrated over the opening two days of the T20 World Cup, the entire team must perform at a high level.
In this new-look Bangladeshi team, Shakib will be hoping he can motivate his players to punch above their weight and deliver a strong showing Down Under this time.