BCB announced the 15-men squad of the Bangladesh team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on 14th May. Nazmul Hossain Shanto will lead the squad with Taskin Ahmed as his deputy. There are two travel reserves in the squad as well. Here is an analysis of the Bangladesh squad.

Bangladesh Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Table: List of players in Bangladesh Team for the upcoming T20 World Cup

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Read more: Will Taskin Ahmed Make the Cut for T20 World Cup?

Analysis of the Bangladesh Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Bangladesh have been quite late to announce the squad compared to the other teams. It implies that the selectors had some doubts over 2-3 players for this time. 

Bangladesh would be very dependent on the bowling unit this time as they are the most in-form department in the team. Taskin Ahmed, with his new vice-captain duty, is supposed to lead the attack along with Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman. The inclusion of Tanzim Hasan gives new dynamics to the pace attack. It is reported that there was a competition between him and Mohammad Saifuddin in the team for a spot. However, the long break from international cricket and the last game against Zimbabwe didn’t help Saifuddin’s cause for breaking into the World Cup squad this time.

The spin attack would be led by Shakib Al Hasan who showed his guile in the last two games against Zimbabwe. Along with him Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, and Tanvir Islam were selected making the most dynamic spin attack Bangladesh ever had. This unit comprises all of the Left-arm orthodox, Right-arm off-spinner, and Right-arm leg-spinner. Mahmudullah Riyad can do a good job as a part-timer too. 

As the top order is not very dependable, the Bangladesh team would mostly depend on the middle order for runs. This unit consists of the vast experience of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad. At the same time, it consists of fresh bloods like Tawhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali Anik. It makes an interesting combination of the calm and bold batters for a middle-order.

The top-order is the most worrisome part in this squad with batters misfiring quite often. Tanzid Tamim has scored two half-centuries in his first 5 matches which is a breath of fresh air. But Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, and skipper Nazmul Hossain Shanto are struggling for runs. This is especially concerning considering Litton and Shanto were the best performers from Bangladesh’s last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Read more: Why Delay in Bangladesh's World Cup Squad Announcement?

Key Players for Bangladesh Squad

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan will always be the most important player for Bangladesh cricket as long as he stays. He is the highest wicket-taker and 8th-highest run-scorer in the history of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He has been the most key player for Bangladesh whenever the team plays and he will be this time sure. Although his batting is a concern, fans can hope for him to figure it out. 

Mahmudullah Riyad

A rejuvenated Mahmudullah Riyad will be the key player to hold the batting unit together this time. He is one of the most in-form batters for Bangladesh right now scoring two half-centuries this year with an average of 71.5. He has reshaped the middle-order for the Bangladesh team and the team will expect him to play a big role this time.

Taskin Ahmed

The new vice-captain of Bangladesh cricket will lead the bowling attack, especially the pace attack of the team. He was the player of the series in Bangladesh’s recent series against Zimbabwe where he picked 8 wickets. He has an injury problem which might see him on the sidelines for some games. But whenever he is on the field, he is the biggest asset for the team.

Nazmul Hossain Shanto

The misfiring skipper has a huge role of leading the team from the front. He could only score 81 runs in the series against Zimbabwe which is not a good sign. However, Bangladesh won two games in the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Shanto scored 71(55) and 25(20) in those games. Also, he scored half-centuries in both the wins of Bangladesh at the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. It shows that he has to play a big role for Bangladesh to win. This time is not supposed to be any different either.

Read more: Saifuddin's World Cup omission sparks heated debate

Verdict

Bangladesh have picked up a quite dynamic bowling unit for both the pace and spin department. They have a good combination of youth and experience in the middle order as well. However, the top order does not convince most of the fans. It would be interesting to see how far the Tigers go being in the group of the death in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.