India will host the seventh ICC T20 World Cup from October to November 2021. This tournament will feature a total of 16 nations. The top ten full members of the ICC will be automatically qualified for the tournament.
The remaining six teams will be selected from the qualifying round. As the World Cup is being held in the subcontinent, the Mahmudullah-led Bangladesh team is expecting to do well in this year’s event. But five things the Bangladesh team needs to address before the World T20 2021 if they want to achieve something great in the tournament. These issues are discussed in this article.
In which sectors, Bangladesh need to improve before the T20 World Cup 2021?
Bangladesh will participate in the 2021 T20 World Cup under Mahmudullah Riyad’s leadership. Senior cricketers are expected to play in the World Cup despite the fact that they sometimes remain absent in bilateral series. Bangladesh have the potential to surprise the cricketing world if they can improve their deficiencies and play with unwavering faith. Now let’s take a look at the issues that the Bangladesh team needs to improve.
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1) Bringing Shakib Al Hasan back at no.3
Usually, the best batsman plays at the number three position. For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan has been batting in this position since 2018. Shakib had an excellent 2019 World Cup by batting at number three. But Shakib Al Hasan has been replaced by young Nazmul Hossain Shanto for the number three position since the Windies series in January. Afterward, Shanto and Soumya batted at number three for the next two series, but they failed to live up to the expectations. This indicates that Shakib Al Hasan is the only best option for this spot. So he should bat at number three in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
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2) Increasing all-rounders in the squad
Many teams now prioritize bringing in more all-rounders in the squad. Most of the all-rounders are aggressive batsmen who can score quickly when the team needs them. All-rounders are also valued for their ability to play an effective role with the ball. Bangladesh’s chances of performing well in the T20 World Cup will improve if more all-rounders are selected.
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3) Improving the efficiency of spinners
Spinners play an important role in India. Any decent quality spinner can become a nightmare for batsmen on Indian pitches. That is why more attention should be given to the inclusion of spinners in the squad than pacers. Apart from Shakib Al Hasan, there are several promising spinners in the Bangladesh team. However, there are doubts about their effectiveness against the world's premier batsmen. BCB should hire a qualified spin coach to help spinners improve their skills.
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4) Mastering the batting technique in swinging conditions
Bangladesh's batsmen had to deal with a lot of swing from the pacers in their last series against New Zealand. They had struggled to cope with the extra pace, bounce, and awful swing deliveries of the Kiwi pacers in the whole tour. The vulnerabilities of Bangladesh batsmen on hard pitches were exposed once more in this series. Batsmen must have a clear understanding of how to bat aggressively in swinging conditions in the T20 format.
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5) Improving fielding performance
Bangladesh’s fielding performance has deteriorated noticeably. The ground fielding was terrible in the last two series, and the players missed a lot of catches. In any format, especially in T20, the chances of losing a match are high due to poor fielding. That’s why the Bangladesh team’;s overall fielding needs to be strengthened. The team’;s senior cricketers, especially captain Mahmudullah Riyad, will have to carry responsibility for motivating the players.
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Bottom Line
After a disappointing performance in the recently concluded New Zealand series, it would be unreasonable to expect too much from Bangladesh’s present T20 side. Therefore five Things the Bangladesh team needs to address before the World T20 2021 in order to perform well during the tournament. One or two senior cricketers may retire from the T20 format after this tournament.
For that reason, no.1 all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, dashing opener Tamim Iqbal, Mr dependable Mushfiqur Rahim, and silent killer Mahmudullah Riyadh would all want to accomplish something significant in this competition together. No doubt, Bangladesh have an outside chance of winning this tournament if they play with full confidence.