Bangl🐲adesh kicked off their World Cup campaign in spectacular fashion, bowling Afghanistan out for a meagre 156 runs in Dharamsala, and then chasing down the target in the 35th over, to register a commanding 6 wicket victory. Four days later at the same venue, their performance took a 180-degree turn, resulting in a 137 run humbling for the Tigers against defending cham⛄pions England.
What can we make of these results? Well, not much othe📖r than the fact that while this may very well be Bangladesh’s most complete squad to participate in an ODI World Cup, it is extremely volatile, and can not be trusted to deliver consistently.
Odds for Bangladesh to make the semi-finals
So can they make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup? Oddsmakers like 22Bet, have them at 25/5 odds to make it to the top four, and . Inspiring, especially as Bangladesh face India next? Not in the sl༒ightest, and we will discuss what they will need to do to beat those odds.
Shakib Al Hasan – The key to Bangladesh’s hopes
For starters, Bangladesh dropped veteran opener and former captain Tamim 🐬Iqbal from their World Cup team at the eleventh hour, owing to his half-baked match fitness, which skipper Shakib Al Hasan wasn’t too pleased with. It is important to note that up until August of this year, Tamim was the one who had captained Bangladesh’s ODI team, and guided them to automat𓄧ic qualification for the World Cup. Controversial, yes, but Tamim’s axing is not the reason why they aren’t likely to qualify for ♔the semi-finals.
If they are to somehow make it, more than anything else they will🌳 need their all-round MVP captain Shakib Al Hasan to come up trumps. That is exactly what he did four years ago in England, scoring 606 runs in 8 innings at an average of over 86, striking at nearly run-a-ball. Shakib took 11 wickets in that campaign as well, and it wasn’t enough to꧃ help Bangladesh progress past the round-robin stage.
Emerging talents
Four years on, however, Bangladesh possess a different blend of player🎉s,🌼 with a developed Litton Das leading the way up top, who has impressed in ICC tournaments of late, also scoring a futile 66 ball 76 in that pounding vs England.
Najmul Hossain Shanto is finally coming of age, providing stability as a top-order anchor, after what was a bang-average start to internಌational cricket. Now 25, Shanto scored 210 in 15 ODI innings across 5 years at 14, with a high score of 38. In 16 innings since the start of 2023, he is averaging in excess of 50, with 2 hundreds and 6 fifties. A turnaround of epic proportions.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is one of the most improved all-rounders in the last 4-year cycle and can bat at pretty much any number, in addition to offering reliable right-arm off-spin. He took 3 wickets in the triumph vs Afghan♏istan, c🌱rossing 50 with bat in hand.
Sꦯeamer Taskin Ahmed has docked his ODI bowling average by 4 runs in this period, adding a few clicks to his pace in the process, and compliments Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters well. The Fizz﷽ by the way is now in his late 20s, with 157 ODI wickets under his belt at less than 25 apiece.
Senior heads and youthful energy
The next generation of Bangladesh players is stepping up, and they’ve got some senior heads in Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah as well, in addition to their superstar captain. Not to mention the brimming youth in the form of two 22 year olds in Towhid Hridoy, who’s strokemaking complies with modern day batting standards, and Shoriful Islam, who bowls left arm medium like M🌼ustafiz. Worth mentioning that Shoriful averages slightly less than his experienced colleague,🧜 and has already stockpiled 40 ODI wickets in 24 outings.
So why is it that despite so much going for them, the thought of Bangladesh qualifying fꦿor the World Cup semi-finals still seems improbable? The answer is simple. Too often they don’t take as many wickets as they should be taking, and their scoring rates are far from flattering. They’re a solid team but don’t have the tools for major upsets. Without incision with the ball and healthier run rates, it is hard to win a 50 over bout in the day and age of fast-paced batting.
Their best shot at beating a top 6 nation is out-spinning 𓄧New Zealand on a Chepauk turner, which suggests that the sum of their (impressive) parts is still not good enough to challenge at the highest level. That said the conditions are in their favour.
Dream scenario
What if everything went right? Shakib channels that 2019 form, Litton and Shanto score consistent runs up top, Mehidy delivers with bo♏th bat and ball, the fast bꦿowlers strike more regularly, the senior men chip in, and Towhid Hridoy plays a few blinders, could history could be re-written for the Tigers.
That is a lot of what-ifs, but golden generations, provided they click, always have a knack for surprising. All it takes is a spark in tournament-style competitions. Bangla💧desh have promise,♌ but it will take more than just promise to secure a spot in the final four.
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