Once upon a time, the Bangladesh cricket team were the punching bags for the opposition. Winning was like a case of once in a blue moon as the team were more like a source of embarrassment than anything else.
Right now, however, Bangladesh cricket is on the rise. Over the last two years, the team have improved dramatically, winning series against the likes of India, Pakistan, South Africa while also performing admirably in ICC events.
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The next ICC event in ODIs is the World Cup in 2019 and the Tigers are prepping themselves for it. With a lot of international cricket to play over the next two years, here are five reasons why Bangladesh will be the team to beat in 2019…
#5 A talented young core
The current crop of Bangladeshi players is perhaps the most talented bunch they ever produced. The likes of Taskin Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman and Mustafizur Rahman are four of the most talented players in the team currently and are the most likely to have a successful future with the team.
They are already established members of the team that have made the Tigers a stronger unit with their presence. Indeed, Bangladesh’s successful run in 2015 was possible because these youngsters were in the form of their lives and provided somewhat of an X–factor to the team.
Indeed, while Mustafizur Rahman desecrated the Indian batting line-up, Taskin Ahmed played a wonderful supporting role. Against South Africa it was Soumya Sarkar’s elegance that helped the team win the series after losing the first match. And Sabbir’s inclusion in the top 10 of the T20I circuit some days also works as a testament to his consistency.
Meanwhile, the influx of talented players doesn’t stop right there as the under-19 circuit keeps on producing some exciting prospects, of whom Mehdi Hasan has already broken into the senior team and earned the adulation of the cricket fraternity.
#4 With more experience
By the time the next World Cup is played, this young core of talented players will be two years older and will be much more experienced at dealing with different types of scenarios. It is only natural, isn’t it? The more these players play, the better they get at what they do.
Bangladesh take on Australia for two Test matches at home. After that, they tour South Africa to take on the Proteas in two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is. This is the experience that is needed for the players to develop and it is invaluable in every way.
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One of the factors in Bangladesh’s rise is that most of it came at home. With the away tours that the team will play before the next World Cup, it will help the current crop of youngsters to develop their game and reach the World Cup at their best ability.
#3 The squad core at the peak of the powers
The five pillars of the current Bangladesh ODI cricket team are Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mashrafe Mortaza. In cricket, players – especially batsmen – generally hits his peak from 30 to 33. In the 2019 World Cup, every player will, except Mashrafe, be between 30 and 33
This means that Shakib, Tamim, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur will be at the peak of their powers in the next World Cup if the patterns in the cricket world are taken into consideration. Also, over the last few years – since the Asia Cup run in 2012, to be exact – these players have improved a lot and the stats prove just that.
Tamim Iqbal’s average before the Asia Cup was 28.84 in ODIs. Since that tournament, however, he has been batting at an average of 44.54 in ODIs. Meanwhile, prior to the same tournament, Rahim had an average of 25.47 in ODIs. Since the tournament, his average has been 40.86.
Similarly, Mahmudullah had an average of 30.53 in ODIs before the Asia Cup in 2012, since then he has been batting at an average of 38.71. And I don’t think Shakib needs stats to back his claim since he has been ever so consistent in the international arena, so much that he is now the number one all-rounder in all three formats of the game.
So it is natural to expect that these players will keep improving and hit their peak in the next World Cup.
#2 Nothing to lose
Given that very few will expect Bangladesh to do something in the tournament, they won’t be under the same pressure to win the World Cup like, say, India or Australia. Indeed, anything beyond progressing the group stages would be deemed as a good effort by the board and the fans.
We have often seen that the pressure to not win anything can make a team do wonders. No-one expected India to win the World Cup in 1983 – and look what happened. Kapil Dev took a team consisting of talented players and led them to glory.
That team had no pressure to win, neither does the Bangladesh cricket team. Without the expectations, the players can play fearlessly, something that might take them very far in the tournament. But fearlessness doesn’t come just like that, Bangladesh didn’t have it before until a certain Masrafe Mortaza.
#1 Mashrafe factor
When Mashrafe took over the captaincy in 2014, Bangladesh were ranked at number 9 in ODIs and were still labelled as minnows by the cricket world. However, right now, Bangladesh are placed at 7th in the ODI rankings and are as competitive as anyone else in world cricket.
While Bangladesh have had an influx of talent in the team, they now have the right temperament to match the talent. And one man has instilled such an attitude in the players: Mashrafe Mortaza.
Mortaza is a warrior by all means. This is a man who has to fight his own knee every day in a bid to play more cricket. There is a risk of him becoming handicapped and spending the rest of his life on the wheelchair because of the state of his knee and the stress that is exerted on it each time he plays.
And yet, he continues to serve the nation. It is not Mashrafe’s bowling, rather his leadership that binds everyone as a unit and pushes it forward. Bangladesh have won series against Pakistan, India and South Africa while also reaching the knock-outs of the World Cup 2015 and the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
And one man led the way: Mashrafe Mortaza.
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