Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hasan has revealed that there are no chances of any surprise in the squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019. Meanwhile, BCB is likely to announce their World Cup squad in the first or the second week of April. Prior to that, Nazmul has admitted that they will rely on tested players.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh in their recent ODI series suffered a whitewash against New Zealand. They were also 2-0 down in the Test series before they returned to the country after the Christchurch shooting. Few Bangladesh cricketers escaped narrowly as they almost reached the mosque for the Friday prayers. They have a lot to ponder about before they travel to England for the showpiece event. However, the Tigers will get one more opportunity to prepare themselves when they play a tri-nation series in Ireland along with Windies as the third team.
We have already finalised the team: Hasan
Speaking about the World Cup squad, Nazmul Hasan said that two spots are still up for grabs, but they have names in their mind. Talking about the opening combination, the BCB President noted that Tamim Iqbal would open the batting along Liton Das while Soumya Sarkar will be the third opener. In the middle-order, they have loads of experience with Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. Besides, they have Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman as the three main pacers.
“I don’t see any scope of a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad. We’ll announce a 15-member team, and most of the names have already been finalised. We’ll have two openers alongside Tamim (Iqbal), and they could be Liton (Das) and Soumya (Sarkar). After that, we’ll have Shakib (Al Hasan), Mushfiqur (Rahim) and Mahmudullah. These are six completed. We’re thinking about three main pace-bowlers, and they are Mashrafe (Bin Mortaza), Rubel (Hossain) and Mustafizur (Rahman),” he said to bdcrictime.com.
Meanwhile, Mehidy Hasan will be their main spinner while Taskin Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin could be the backup ,fast bowlers. Nazmul Hasan also reiterated that despite young cricketers doing well in the domestic leagues, they are unlikely to get an opportunity in the World Cup as they are banking on experienced campaigners.
Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Mithun who have done well in their limited opportunities are likely to be the backups in the middle-order.
“You can’t go to the World Cup without having two extra pacers and they could be Taskin (Ahmed) and (Mohammad) Saifuddin. We have Mehidy (Hasan Miraz) as a specialist spinner. At the same time, we need to find two players for the back-up of the middle-order, and they could be Sabbir (Rahman) and (Mohammad) Mithun. So, I don’t see any chance for the new guys. Some players are doing well in domestic cricket but there’re many differences between domestic and international cricket,” he added.
Still thinking about No 7 spot: Hasan
In conclusion, Nazmul Hasan noted that they are still thinking about the number seven position. Bangladesh have lost many games due to lack of finishers in their ranks which can hurt them in the World Cup as well.