Younger members of the Bangladesh national cricket team are eager to prove their mettle in the T20 World Cup which is set to begin on October 17 in Oman. 

Bangladesh has six members in the squad who are set to play their maiden World Cup in this event. Three of them have talked to UNB before their scheduled departure for Oman where Bangladesh will play their first-round matches. 

In the first round of the World Cup, Bangladesh will take on Scotland, Oman, and Papua New Guinea in Group B. If the Tigers can finish as the champions of Group B, they’ll join Afghanistan, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and A 1 (Champions of Group A in the first round).

Shoriful Islam, the youngest bowling member of the Bangladesh team, said he can’t wait to hit the ground and do well in the World Cup. 

“This is my first World Cup with the senior side which makes me so excited,” Shoriful told to UNB.

“I’m confident of making this World Cup a memorable event. But I need to be selected to playing XI first. If I get a chance I’ll give my hundred per cent to do well. My initial goal will be to not concede many runs, and the wickets will come along the way.”

Since his T20I debut earlier this year, Shoriful played a total of 11 matches so far and bagged 17 wickets with the best figures of taking three wickets for 33 runs. 

Like the young left-handed pacer, another left-handed bowler Nasum Ahmed is also upbeat to prove his worth. He has recently performed well when Bangladesh beat Australia and New Zealand in two consecutive home series.  

Read: Tigers to leave for T20 World Cup on October 3

“I always try to do well. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I have to accept failure,” Nasum said.

“I would like to request our supporters to keep their belief in us. We cannot guarantee that we’ll win, but we guarantee that we will fight with our best effort.”

The left-handed spinner has played 14 T20Is so far and bagged 18 wickets. His bowling record is taking four wickets conceding 10 runs. He was the player of the match when Bangladesh beat Australia in T20Is for the first time. 

Nasum also said he has set a personal goal for the World Cup, but denied revealing it. “Like anyone else, I also have a plan for this World Cup, but I don’t want to reveal it now. Keep me in your prayers so that I can show my goal in the World Cup,” Nasum further said. 

Left-handed opener Mohammad Naim, who has been impressive with the bat for a while now, also said that he is eager to flourish in the World Cup. Naim has played 22 T20Is so far and scored 570 runs with two fifties. 

Read: Tigers record maiden T20I series win vs New Zealand

“I don’t want to talk much about my World Cup goal,” he said. “But it’s sure that I have a plan and I want to execute my plan in the World Cup. I’ve been trying to play well in the shorter format of the game, and I will continue to put my best foot forward in my first World Cup.”

Afif Hossain, Sheikh Mehedi Hasan, and Shamim Hossian are the other three Bangladeshi players who are going to play their first World Cup. Like Shoriful, Shamim was also part of the Bangladesh squad that won the U-19 World Cup in 2020 in South Africa. 

While talking to the media recently, Shamim said that the T20 World Cup is a big challenge for him. “I always want to give something memorable to the supporters. The T20 World Cup is a big chance for me to do well. It’s my first World Cup, so it brings a lot of excitement as well.”

Shamim also said that the experience of winning the U-19 World Cup will somewhat help him to do well in the upcoming World Cup. 

Bangladesh will begin the World Cup campaign with the first round match against Scotland on October 17 while the other two matches will take place on October 19 and 21 respectively against Oman and Papua New Guinea.

Before the first round begins, Bangladesh will play two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland in the UAE. To play the warm-up matches, Bangladesh will fly to the UAE from Oman on October 9, and they will return to Oman on October 15.