3 min read
Introduction
Bangladesh have what many teams look for prior to a World Cup – stability in the playing XI composition. With all their stalwarts available, possibly for the last time in a World Cup, they have gone as far as to say that they are here to win the World Cup in 2019. I’ll surely be surprised if they do.
Mihir’s SWOT Analysis
strengths
- A balanced and experienced core to complement an inexperienced and talented youth will go a long way in providing stability and smooth transition.
- It is interesting to note that effectively, there is stalwart in each the department – Batting, Wicket-Keeping, All-Rounder, Bowling. This will allow Bangladesh to aim to achieve control in all aspects of the game.
- An experienced captain with a good track record provides overall balance to the team.
weaknesses
- If Mehidy Hasan Miraz is to be considered an All-Rounder in any sense, Bangladesh lack a frontline spinner which could hurt them.
- While Bangladesh have played quite a few matches in the build-up to the World Cup, it remains to be seen if their lack of matches against higher-ranked opponents would hinder them or not.
opportunities
- Leverage the stability and experience they have to take the first step towards materialising their aspirations of winning a World Cup.
- Carve a niche for themselves by winning a few games against solid opponents at this level and then take that confidence into the TEST and ODI championships starting soon.
threats
- One threat for Bangladesh, as has always been the case, is over-confidence.
- Another threat according to me is that their batting lineup lacks the “kill” which is required to propel scores past 320+. This could result in additional pressure on the middle-order batsmen for scoring those extra runs at a higher strike-rate.
key player
Mashrafe Mortaza –> The captain-cum-bowler, a rarity in cricket as you’d see, his experience means he has the combined role of leading the team’s bowling unit as well the team itself. With pitches like what we have seen so far in England, the pressure falls on bowlers to TRY and restrict oppositions from sitting big targets or restricting them from chasing the set target. Thus, Mashrafe Mortaza becomes even a more important cog in the bowling wheel and his performance is what will more or less define Bangladesh’s campaign.
prediction
Bangladesh as a team is a good prospect but that’s as far as my hopes go. Definitely in for a couple of “upsets” (if that’s what I could call them), I don’t feel they make it to the final four, especially given the format of the World Cup this year.
Roster
Schedule
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