The UAE and Oman will host the seventh edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in the next month. A total of 16 countries will compete in this competition. The top eight teams in the ICC T20I team rankings have qualified for the Super 12s. The remaining eight teams will be split into two groups to play qualifiers in order to be eligible for the Super 12s. Bangladesh team is hoping to do well in this year's competition. However, there are three things Bangladesh need to work on before the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 which are discussed in this article.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Things that Bangladesh Team Needs to Improve
Mahmudullah Riyad-led Bangladesh team will compete in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Only Tamim Iqbal will not partake in the main event among the senior players. Let's look at the areas that Bangladesh must address before the main event.
The Top order's Consistent Performance
The ICC encourages batsmen to score runs during the main event in order to attract spectators. Therefore, all four T20 World Cup venues will likely contain sporting pitches. It is expected that some run-fest contest will take place in this event and the Bangladesh team management would be prepared for this.
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Bangladesh's first task is to ensure that the top order performs consistently. Half of the job will be done for the team tigers if the top order guarantees the type of start Bangladesh expects.
In the absence of veteran Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh's openers would have to shoulder extra responsibility to anchor the innings during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Because the openers can set up the platform for Bangladesh innings.
We saw how Bangladesh's top order struggled in both the Australian and New Zealand series. Liton Das and Mohammad Naim were the only opening duo to reach 50 runs in the second match of New Zealand series. They made a 59-run partnership, and Bangladesh scored 141/6. The only time Bangladesh scored 140 or more runs in the previous ten T20Is.
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Mohammad Naim is likely to start the innings for Bangladesh in the World Cup, given his recent performances. Naim didn't play any big knock In the past three series, but he made sure that he stayed at the crease till the death overs.
Naim will be paired with either Liton Das or Soumya Sarkar in the World Cup. Because in the previous series, neither of them had been consistent. Whoever opens the innings for Bangladesh will be responsible for increasing the run rate at the start of the innings, while Naim's task will be to stay at the crease till the end.
Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has struggled with the bat since returning to international cricket in January. Shakib Al Hasan was in great touch with the bat at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, assisting Bangladesh in winning some matches. Shakib's batting will be hoped to re-ignite and enable Bangladesh achieve something special in the world cup.
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Power Hitting in Slog Overs
Bangladesh are short on power hitters in the death overs. That is why, Bangladesh usually fail to post a large total despite a strong start. As a result, they will need quality hitters in the middle order to help them accelerate run rates and put up a competitive score.
Bangladesh have Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, and Captain Mahmudullah Riyad in the middle order. Death overs are crucial in T20 cricket, especially when it comes to scoring a competitive total. Everyone should be able to hit big shot when required.
Nurul Hasan and Afif Hossain have shown encouraging performances in recent series. We should anticipate them to go all out during the forthcoming competition. In addition, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim would be vital for Bangladesh.
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Effective Bowling Performance
Bangladesh's bowlers must maintain a level of consistency. The bowlers' performances in the New Zealand and Australia series will not be replicated in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Because the pitches were heavily stacked in favor of the spinners. Even the pacers had rattled the batters using the sluggish nature of the wickets.
Mustafzur Rahman had shown his ability with the ball. Pacers Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin also had good outing. Among the spinners, Nasum Ahmed got the headlines most of the time with his brilliant spin bowling. Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan did their job well.
However, we must keep in mind that the pitches in the ICC T20 World Cup would be more difficult for the bowlers. Batsmen may find ways to score runs, while bowlers would struggle to control run rates.
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Many cricket analysts were dissatisfied with the decision to offer bowling-friendly surfaces in both the Australia and New Zealand series. Bangladesh's think tank, particularly the bowling coaches, must plan a strategy to overcome the hurdle in the Wolrd Cup event.
The key task for Bangladesh bowlers will be to prevent run flow both in the power play and in the death overs. Bowlers must master the art of picking up wickets on flat tracks. They need to determine what kind of bowling may pose problems for the hitters on batting-friendly surfaces. Bangladesh bowlers will play to their full capacity if they can adjust to the conditions.
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Bottom Line
Bangladesh team's confidence is sky-high after three consecutive T20I series victories against Zimbabwe, Australia, and New Zealand respectively. Not everyone is pleased with the pitches Bangladesh played against those opponents. Many pundits believe that spin wickets only helped Bangladesh win two cricket series against two formidable opponents. As a result, Bangladesh's preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 was insufficient. Bangladesh have a chance to reach the championship's semifinals if they play to their best ability. However, they must address the three things mentioned in this article prior to the major event.
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