There was a lot of expectation before Bangladesh's super 12 round match against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh were a better team than Sri Lanka on paper. However, Sri Lanka executed their tactics well and triumphed with 7 balls to spare when pursuing a 172-run target. Bangladesh should also bear some of the responsibility. They were below par in fielding and bowling. Team Tigers must come up with a more effective plan when playing England in their upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 match.
Things to consider before Bangladesh's 2nd Super 12 Fixture of T20 World Cup
A lot of things went wrong in the encounter against Sri Lanka. The captaincy of Mahmudullah Riyad is the most noteworthy. Bangladesh also missed a number of vital catches, and some of their bowlers were ineffective. These issues should be addressed prior to the important England clash.
Read: T20 WC: Poor fielding, bowling cost Tigers in first Super 12 match
Two changes are required in the playing XI
At least two changes in the Bangladesh team are needed for the next match. Mohammad Naim's opening partner Liton Das should be dropped for the tie against England due to a string of setbacks. He got off to a good start against Sri Lanka but was eventually dismissed for 16 runs. On the other hand, Mohammad Naim made it to the end of the innings and played a 62-run knock. Soumya Sarkar or Mahadi Hasan can take Liton's spot.
In addition, medium-pacer Mohammad Saifuddin had a dismal bowling performance. Saifuddin stepped in to bowl the 18th over and conceded 22 runs when the match's fate was on the line. After that, the Lankans had entire control of the match. There was no variation in Saifuddin's bowling. Rather, he aided the opposition batters to score with consistent full-length and full-toss deliveries. Left-arm pacer Shariful Islam should be included in the playing XI instead.
Read Pakistan beat India by 10 wkts, for maiden WC win against archrivals
Captaincy should be diverse
Mahmudullah's captaincy has received a lot of criticism. Many experts think that Mahmudullah isn't doing enough as a skipper. He is also not making good judgments when it comes to bowling changes. Riyad is unable to pick the appropriate bowler in time. Therefore, Bangladesh lost matches against Scotland and Sri Lanka due to his inefficient leadership.
For example, Mahmudullah handed over the bowl to Afif Hossain to bowl the 13th over despite Shakib having two overs left in the play against the Lankans. The Sri Lankan batters took control of the situation and scored 15 runs in that over. Mahmudullah bowled the following over and gave away 16 runs. Sri Lanka put themselves in a great position by scoring 31 runs in two successive overs. If Nasum Ahmed had been attacked, there would have been a chance to take a wicket.
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Experts believe Mahmudullah made multiple mistakes against Sri Lanka. Riyad is expected to be a more mature captain for Bangladesh.
Fielding needs to be improved
Bangladesh's fielding was poor in the match against Sri Lanka. Particularly, Liton Das helped Sri Lanka's win by dropping two simple catches. He failed to take Rajapaksa's catch in the 13th over in the square leg region. Two over later, Liton dropped Asalanka in the sweeper cover area bowled by Mustafizur Rahman.
So, dropping those two catches was one of the reasons for Bangladesh's loss against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh's fielders must be more aggressive in order to win the match against a strong England team, and no catch must be dropped.
Read: Pakistan beat India by 10 wkts, for maiden WC win against archrivals
Bottom Line
Bangladesh's team management should be aware of their preferred playing XI. Understanding the pitch's nature and the venue's recent records is crucial for this. Some pitches are better for seamers, while others are better for spinners. Batters must step up if they are playing on a batting-friendly surface in order to score more freely and relieve pressure on the bowlers.
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad and head coach Russell Domingo have a big task ahead of them in order to get the team back on track. Bangladesh will play England at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (October 27), which could help the batsmen. This match will be crucial in order to qualify for the semi-finals of ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Therefore, the team Tigers will have to put up a special performance against the English team to win the contest.