BCB named a 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2021. Two more cricketers were included on the standby list. The Bangladesh national cricket team resumed international cricket last January. They played four bilateral T20 series during this time, winning three of them. Only those who excelled in those series were selected for the ICC's upcoming tournament. In this regard, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the best possible team for the upcoming event. The strengths and weaknesses of Bangladesh's World Cup team are discussed in this article.

SWOT Study of Bangladesh Squad for T20 World Cup 2021 

A quick look at Bangladesh's World Cup squad

Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Mohammad Naim, Liton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shamim Hossain

Strengths

Bowling offers diversity

The Bangladesh team features a number of talented bowlers. This is very apparent when looking at the bowlers' performances in the previous three bilateral T20I series. Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan have joined with the experienced Shakib Al Hasan In the spin attack. On the other hand, Bangladesh have Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shariful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed in the pace attack.

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Nasum Ahmed is a left-arm spinner who bowls with greater precision. Shakib Al Hasan is a seasoned cricketer who knows what it takes to get wickets. Mahedi Hasan is a talented off-spinner. He has the ability to make crucial breakthroughs when they are needed. Furthermore, Bangladesh have part-time spinners Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, and Shamim Hossain. They can step in and play an important role when needed. As a result, Bangladesh have a variety of alternatives in the spin department.

The same can be said for fast bowling. Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam are two tough bowlers to face in the death overs. Taskin Ahmed is a very fast bowler. Mohammad Saifuddin might be expensive at times, but he has a knack for picking up wickets. Slow-medium pacer Soumya Sarkar might be an ideal option, given that UAE pitches would be slower than projected in mid-October.

Among the Bangladeshi bowlers, spinner Nasum Ahmed and left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman deserve special recognition for their recent international performances. Both players are in excellent shape, and their impressive bowling helped Bangladesh win the bilateral T20I series against Australia and New Zealand respectively.  

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Notable bowling stats (T20I) by Bangladesh players in 2021   

 Bangladesh bowlers are clearly in excellent form, as evidenced by recent statistics. Bangladesh can make opposition batters nervous if the bowlers do well in the main event of the T20 World Cup. So, bowling will be Bangladesh's main strength in the upcoming World Cup.

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Experienced cricketers may standout

Tamim Iqbal, one of the most experienced players, withdrew himself from the World Cup due to a lack of preparation. However, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad will participate in this tournament. These three players have a lot of experience and have competed in several World Cups together.

Their experience will be essential if Bangladesh want to perform well in the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2021. Shakib Al Hasan's excellent bowling and courageous batting, Mushfiqur Rahim's dependable batting, Mahmudullah Riyad's captaincy, and effective all-round performance could make a difference in big matches.

Particularly in batting, they must shoulder extra responsibilities. They have the potential to become an emblem of Bangladesh's faith in the competition if they are at their best.

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Weaknesses

Lack of experience in the top order

Not to mention, Bangladesh would suffer due to the absence of Tamim Iqbal in the upcoming World Cup. Because, evaluating the performance of Bangladesh’s top-order batsmen in the recent series, we can see that they were mostly uninspiring. Naim, Liton, and Soumya are underperforming. If Bangladesh want to improve the scenario, at least one of the top order batsmen should play steadily from the beginning with an aim to carry the innings till the end. Mohammad Naim is expected to fulfill this responsibility in light of his recent performance.

Noteworthy T20I batting stats (openers) by Bangladesh players in 2021   

 Lack of big hitters in the middle order

The Bangladesh team lacks a prominent big hitter. However, Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain were recently tested at No 6 and 7 respectively. Despite the fact that Afif gave a glimpse with the bat in the recent series, neither of them has achieved much success and they are still quite young.

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Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahadi Hasan, and Mohammad Saifuddin are able to play big shots in the lower middle order. However, it is hard to predict how they are going to perform against a strong opponent. Bangladesh's lack of a big hitter in the middle order could be a major drawback in the World Cup.

Notable T20I batting stats (Lower middle-order) by Bangladesh cricketers in 2021   

Opportunities  

Make a strategy that works for the team

The primary responsibility of the Bangladesh team management would be to formulate the best strategy by assessing the squad's strength. Bangladesh have had a lot of success in the recent series by bowling with spinners in the beginning. Bangladesh may use the same strategy in the World Cup matches because the UAE wickets are anticipated to be slower as well. Among the pacers, Mustafiz and Saifuddin are also faring well in the death overs.

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Mahmudullah Riyad will have to strive to take control of the game by giving more opportunities to the seniors and reliable performers. Bangladesh will dominate the tournament when they can figure out how to overcome their opponents by identifying their flaws. Certainly, the Bangladesh Team has a strong opportunity in the World Cup matches if they can execute that.

Threats

Multiple players of the same kind

Bangladesh have a number of all-rounders with almost similar quality. The real threat here is that if a player fails to perform two consecutive games, he will likely be replaced by another player. In this scenario, off-form players will not get enough chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Bangladesh may not be able to function well as a team if the XI is changed frequently. Bangladesh must stick with an ideal playing XI and have faith in it.

Furthermore, when the spin bowlers struggle in a big match, the fast bowlers fall under more strain. In such a situation, Bangladesh's bowlers might face increased pressure in the final half of the innings.

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Probable playing XI

Liton Das, Mohammad Naim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mahadi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed

Bottom Line

Bangladesh will have an advantage when it comes to adjusting to the conditions prior to the Super 12. Bangladesh will compete in the qualifying round, and their opponents are relatively weak in this phase. Bangladesh should not have a tough time beating them. The Bangladesh team will be able to identify their best XI for the Super 12 during the qualifying phase. 

The T20 World Cup 2021 is going to start just after the IPL 2021, so it can be expected that the UAE's pitches would become more spin-friendly. As a result, Bangladesh and other Asian countries will stand a good chance of thriving in this tournament. 

Bangladesh's cricketers will be motivated to maintain consistency later in the competition if they have a strong start. Bangladesh have a talented squad, and now it's up to them to prove it on the field.

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