2014 Asia Cup Teams Preview: Bangladesh

Bangladesh, the team that surprised India and Sri Lanka to reach the finals of last edition of the Asia Cup go into this year’s tournament as the dark horses. They have the ability to give India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka a run for their money. They will go into the tournament with a lot of confidence as the tournament is scheduled to take place in their own back yard where several thousands of fans will come out in support of the Tigers. Currently, the Bangladeshis are humbled by the Lankans at home and Mushfiqur Rahim led team will hope to erase all the bitter memories of the Sri Lanka’s tour to Bangladesh. Here is the preview of Bangladesh ahead of the 2014 Asia Cup.

Squad:

Captain: Mushfiqur Rahim

Coach: Richard Pybus

Batsmen:

•          Tamim Iqbal
•          Shamsur Rahman
•          Mominul Haque
•          Nasir Hossain
•          Naeem Islam

Bowlers:

•          Mashrafe Mortaza
•          Rubel Hossain
•          Al-Amin Hossain
•          Abdur Razzak
•          Sohag Gazi

All-Rounders:

•          Farhad Reza
•          Shakib Al Hasan
•          Mahmudullah
•          Zia-ur-Rahman

Wicket Keepers:

•          Mushfiqur Rahim
•          Anamul Haque

Strengths:

•        Playing in front of their home crowd gives them a lot of support.
•        Bangladesh are a good bowling side.
•        They have a decent middle order.
•        Presence of quality spinners in their side.

Weakness:

•        Inconsistent top order.
•        Fielding is a concern.
•        Inability to handle pressure.
•        They might be vulnerable in chasing some huge scores.
•        Fall of early wickets will completely dent the run flow.

Players to watch out for:

Sohag Gazi:

Sohag Gazi will be Bangladesh’s key man in bowling as he holds the place of the third seamer and bowls in the power play overs as well as in the death overs. He is an economical bowler who can pick up wickets at regular intervals. Gazi had a rather good debut season with the National Team last year and he will hope to continue his good work with the ball in the future.

Nasir Hossain:

Nasir Hossain, Bangladesh’s answer to MS Dhoni as he is considered as a finisher in ODI’s was instrumental in Bangladesh’s Asia Cup triumph in 2012 as he set the victory for Bangladesh and took them home in almost all the matches. He is a terrific batsman who can change the complexion of the match in a matter of balls. Nasir will be looking to repeat his heroics in this year’s Asia Cup as well.

X-Factor:

Shakib Al Hasan:

Bangladesh has the cushion of having the World’s best All-Rounder Shakib Al Hasan in their team. Shakib is key member of the side as he guides Bangladesh in the middle overs while batting and bowls some crucial overs while bowling. He is a complete All-Rounder because he is also a terrific fielder, the best in Bangladesh line-up. He is a type of player who does not succumb under pressure. He has the ability to win matches on his own and Bangladesh will rely on him for a good show in 2014 Asia Cup.

Possible Playing XI: Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Sohag Gazi.

Schedule:

Date	Against	Venue
26-2-2014	India	Fatullah
1-3-2014	Afghanistan	Fatullah
4-3-2014	Pakistan	Mirpur
6-3-2014	Sri Lanka	Mirpur
8-3-2014	Finals	Mirpur