Bangladesh Roster Breakdown

Batters/Fielders: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain

Bowlers: Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed

All Rounders: Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Shakib al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan

Don’t Sleep On:

–Mehidy Hasan, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar. I’m putting the all-rounders together because this team is so dependent on them. If Bangladesh is to make a run or pull an upset or two, these guys to play a major role.

Needed to Make a Run:

– Tamim Iqbal: The veteran and calming hand at the top of the lineup, Iqbal needs to lead from the front every match.

– Mashrafe Mortaza: The captain! Aside from al Hasan, Mortaza is the biggest name in this squad. His leadership and decision making are key, especially dealing with the various grounds in England.

Key to The Cup:

– Shakib al Hasan: He’s the best all rounder in the world. Do I need to say much more? Bangladesh doesn’t get anywhere without al Hasan having put on a world-beating effort. There’s going to be a match where he wins it single-handedly. Sri Lanka, I’m looking at you, for some reason.

Why Should I Watch?

You never know when another 178 run partnership will pop up, but that’s exactly what happened the last time Bangladesh played in an ODI tournament in England. Al Hasan can turn a match with his bat or bowling, and veterans like Iqbal, Mahmudullah, and Mortaza can all win a match by themselves.  

How Much Fun is this Team? (6/10)

There’s not much flash here. As a neutral, this isn’t a team that jumps off the page. As noted previously in this post, al Hasan is the shining light of this squad. He’s enough to watch on his own. Other than him, the rest of the team plays great cricket, but this isn’t a category about just cricket.

Best Case:

Upsets, upsets, upsets!! Wins over either New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa would be quite the result! Pair those with 50/50 matchups with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and Bangladesh could make a push for a semi-final spot.

Worst Case:

Loses against the big teams are expected, however, those matches are expected to be close. Multiple blowouts against the elite teams and a poor showing against opponents they should beat is the worst case scenario for the Tigers.