Shakib has Bangladesh on the prowl at World Cup with momentum on their side
Squad:
Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Best finish at the tournament
Quarter-final (2015)
Since their first-ever World Cup in 1999, Bangladesh have made it past the group stage twice and only once to the knockouts. The Tigers went on a dream run in 2015, where they won three out of their seven Pool A games to go through to the quarter-finals.
They started out on a positive note with a comfortable 105-run win against Afghanistan in the latter’s Men’s Cricket World Cup debut. Bangladesh got an invaluable point after their game against Australia was washed out.
Bangladesh knocks England out of CWC15 and qualify to the World Cup knockouts for the first time ever with a 15-run win in Adelaide on March 9.
They lost by a hefty 92-run margin in their next game against Sri Lanka but bounced back in style by chasing a target of 319 against Scotland in their next game.
Bangladesh confirmed their entry into the knockout stage for the very first time at England’s expense as they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history in their penultimate Pool A game.
Their World Cup campaign ended in the quarter-finals though, after India posted a massive target of 303. The Tigers fell 109 runs short of the target in response as they were bowled out for 193.
Results in the last 10 ODI games
(Most recent first): L L NR W L L W L W L
Fixtures
vs Afghanistan – 7 October, Dharamsala
vs England – 10 October, Dharamsala
vs New Zealand – 14 October, Chennai
vs India – 19 October, Pune
vs South Africa – 24 October, Mumbai
vs Netherlands – 28 October, Kolkata
vs Pakistan – 31 October, Kolkata
vs Sri Lanka – 6 November, Delhi
vs Australia – 11 November, Pune
Key Match
vs Afghanistan (7 October)
Bangladesh must kick off their World Cup campaign on a positive note in their opening match against Afghanistan, as they face a challenging run of fixtures against the tournament's big guns.
Afghanistan, though, have proved to be a difficult side to beat off late with Bangladesh suffering a 2-1 series loss at their hands in July 2023.
In their most recent clash during the 2023 Asia Cup, Bangladesh sealed a spot in the Super Four stage with a comfortable 89-run victory against Afghanistan in their Group Stage game.
Bangladesh have the upper hand in their head-to-head against Afghanistan but not by a huge margin. In 15 games so far, the Tigers have emerged victorious nine times while Afghanistan have won the other six.
A victorious start will offer Bangladesh crucial momentum, given their dodgy form over the last few months.
Key Player
Shakib Al Hasan
Captain, ever-reliable batter, shrewd spinner – Shakib Al Hasan will be donning a lot of hats for Bangladesh at the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
The veteran Bangladesh star is gearing up to play his fifth consecutive World Cup, having first featured in the 2007 edition. This will also be the second time he will be leading the Tigers at cricket’s marquee event after he previously did in 2011.
Not a lot has changed for Shakib and Bangladesh since his World Cup debut in 2007 as he continues to be a pillar in their line-up.
In the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League, where Bangladesh finished third to book their berth for the tournament, Shakib played a pivotal role both with the ball and the bat.
He was the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh with 31 wickets in 20 matches. With the bat in hand, he was among the top five run-getters for his team with 619 runs at an average of 36.41.
Shakib will be hoping to replicate his exploits from the previous edition of the World Cup. He had a dream all-round campaign finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 606 runs in eight matches to go with 11 wickets.
As always, Shakib will be the linchpin that holds the Bangladesh World Cup campaign together. His all-round brilliance, experience and leadership make him indispensable to the team's hopes of achieving success on the grand stage.
Summary
Once carrying the tag of minnows, Bangladesh seem to have cracked the ODI code and have been one of the most successful teams in the format since the turn of the decade. In fact, only India has more wins in ODI cricket since 2020 than Bangladesh.****
Their recent form might be misleading with a series loss to New Zealand and Afghanistan and a Super Four exit at the Asia Cup but in the sub-continent conditions, few teams can go toe to toe against Bangladesh on their day.
The team has had to deal with a lot of uncertainty of late, with Tamim Iqbal relinquishing captaincy just two months before the World Cup after which he announced his retirement only to take a U-turn a day later.
He is one of the key players missing as he failed to recover from a back injury. Ebadot Hossain couldn’t beat the clock either after undergoing knee surgery in late August.
Despite missing two key players, Bangladesh boasts a formidable squad, with Mushfiqur Rahim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton, and Shakib capable of compensating for Tamim's absence at the top.
The Tigers boast of a potent spin attack as well who could be nightmares for opposition batters, especially in a long tournament where pitches could wear and tear. Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been in incredible form of late and will be well supported by the likes of Shakib and Mahedi Hasan.
Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman will spearhead the pace attack, with Bangladesh banking on Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, and Tanzim Hasan to fill the void left by Ebadot.
With great focus on ODI cricket, Bangladesh have groomed a strong squad for the tournament that can ably support Shakib and could be serious dark horses to make it to their first-ever World Cup semi-finals.