T20
T20 World Cup Upset: BCB may take big decisions for the Pakistan series
There was a lot of anticipation before Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. However, team Tigers were nothing near their best and finished the tournament with five consecutive losses in the Super 12 round. Bangladesh ended in last place in Group 1 points table. Fans and cricket experts slammed the players and the BCB for not living up to expectations. The Bangladesh Cricket Board realizes that reform is required to revive T20 cricket. Let's look at some of the key decisions BCB may make ahead of the next bilateral series against Pakistan at home.
Performances of Bangladesh Players in the T20 World Cup 2021
Neither the batters nor the bowlers played to their full potential. Therefore, Bangladesh only managed to beat weaker opponents Oman and Papua New Guinea in the qualifiers.
Batting
Bangladesh's most successful batsman Mohammad Naim had a couple of solid knocks in the competition. Aside from him, Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim both scored a fifty in the tournament. Liton Das, Soumya Sarker, and Afif Hossain were the biggest disappointments. Neither of them made a half-century in the World Cup.
Read India crushes Scotland to keep alive T20 semis hopes
Top five run-scorers of Bangladesh in Twenty20 World Cup 2021
Player
Match
Runs
HS
SR
Ave
50s
Mohammad Naim
7
174
64
110.82
24.85
2
Mahmudullah Riyad
8
169
50
120.71
28.16
1
Mushfiqur Rahim
8
144
57*
113.38
20.57
1
Liton Das
8
133
44
94.32
16.62
0
Shakib Al Hasan
6
131
46
109.16
21.83
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Bowling
Bangladesh's most successful bowler Shakib Al Hasan took the most 11 wickets and set two significant records during the competition. He went on to become the most successful bowler in the history of the T20 World Cup, as well as the top wicket-taker in T20I.
Read NZ on track for T20 semis after beating Namibia by 52 runs
Besides, the most effective bowler was pacer Taskin Ahmed, who was praised for his commitment and performance. Left-arm pacer MustafIzur Rahman was the biggest letdown among the bowlers. The cutter-master had the worst economy rate of the front-line bowlers.
Top five wicket-takers of Bangladesh in Twenty20 World Cup 2021
Player
Match
Wickets
BBI
SR
Econ
4W
Shakib Al Hasan
6
11
4/9
12
5.59
1
Mahedi Hasan
8
8
3/19
18.3
6.12
0
Mustafizur Rahman
7
8
4/36
18
9.25
1
Taskin Ahmed
6
6
2/12
21.8
6.50
0
Mohammad Saifuddin
4
5
2/21
18
7.00
0
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Things to consider before Bangladesh's T20I series against Pakistan
BCB has to figure out what's behind these disappointing results. The Bangladesh Cricket Boards should think about the following points.
The final decision on the inconsistent performers
With the exception of opener Mohammad Naim, the Bangladesh batting unit was ineffective throughout the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2021. So, the Bangladesh Cricket Board must decide whether to keep the present squad or to permanently eliminate a few of the regular underperformers.
Read Tigers return home after World Cup failure
Because some of the players have had opportunities for the past six or seven years but have yet to reach their full potential on the international stage. It would be unreasonable to keep faith in their talents and give them another opportunity.
Taking a chance on newcomers
Bangladesh's U19 team is filled with talents. They won the U19 World Cup in 2020, and these young players have all the abilities they need to thrive on the big stage. BCB should promote some of the bright players from this group in the forthcoming series against Pakistan.
The final decision on the captaincy
Bangladesh's failure to meet expectations during the World Cup is not entirely down to Captain Mahmudullah. However, being a captain he can't deny his inability to encourage the team. Now BCB must decide whether to put their faith in Mahmudullah in the forthcoming bilateral series or give over the role to ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal.
Read Sri Lanka ends West Indies' hopes of T20 World Cup semis
Bangladesh vs. Pakistan T20I Series Fixtures
Pakistan will play the host Bangladesh in three T20I series and two Test matches. Pakistan's tour will begin with a T20I format series. All of the matches will take place at SBNCS in Mirpur and the scheduled start time is 6.30 p.m (Bangladesh Standard Time).
T20I series fixture:
1st match: 19 November | 2nd match: 20 November | 3rd match: 22 November
Way Forward
A lot of things didn't go as planned for Bangladesh's cricket team in the T20 World Cup 2021. They had outstanding preparation prior to the tournament, winning two home series against Australia and New Zealand. However, cricket experts were concerned that the wickets on which Bangladesh played the Australians and the Blackcaps at home weren't suitable for World Cup preparation. Their worries were justified as Bangladesh were heavily outplayed by their opponents in the Super 12 Round. The BCB must now make significant decisions in order to resurrect Bangladesh's T20 cricket.
Read Mahmudullah punts future as captain to BCB
India crushes Scotland to keep alive T20 semis hopes
India couldn’t afford to lose at the T20 World Cup and it didn’t on Friday when it thrashed Scotland by eight wickets.
In doing so, the one-time champion kept alive its slim chance of reaching the semifinals next week.
Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh sign off with a big defeat to Australia
India squared its win-loss record at 2-2 with a last group game on Monday against Namibia. But it will be for naught if New Zealand beats Afghanistan on Sunday to advance.
Scotland was forced to bat first and was dismissed for 85 in 17.4 overs. India achieved the winning target at 89-2 in only 6.3 overs, improving its net run rate above New Zealand’s and Afghanistan’s.
NZ on track for T20 semis after beating Namibia by 52 runs
New Zealand stayed on track to reach the T20 World Cup semifinals after knocking off Namibia by 52 runs on Friday.
The Black Caps moved above Afghanistan into second place in their group behind already-qualified Pakistan. Beat Afghanistan on Sunday and they advance, too.
Forced to bat first, New Zealand was meandering until, with four overs to go, Glenn Phillips and Jimmy Neesham blew up the Namibia battery. They took an unbeaten 67 runs from the last four overs to post 163-4.
It made the difference.
Namibia was on pace with New Zealand after 14 overs, but that was the last over in which the Namibians scored double-digit runs. Unable to accelerate like Phillips and Neesham under pressure, Namibia lost 4-26 over the last six overs to fall well short at 111-7.
“We did well for 15, 16 overs in the middle but the death overs didn’t go our way,” Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said. “We have got one more game to nail that, against India.
Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh sign off with a big defeat to Australia
“It was quite a tough pitch — 160 was a bit too much on that pitch today.”
Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson and Devon Conway made starts for New Zealand but Namibia did well to restrict them to 87-4 in the 14th over.
Neesham joined Phillips, who was on 4, and they started cautiously, scoring nine runs in the next two overs.
Then the gloves came off.
They took 14 runs from Erasmus’ last over; both batsmen hit sixes off David Wiese in a 21-run 18th over; Phillips pulled Ruben Trumpelmann over the fence in the 19th; and Neesham hit over the deep square leg boundary in a last over in which medium-pacer JJ Smit also conceded four wides.
The 67 runs plundered in the last four overs was the best in the tournament.
Phillips finished 39 not out off 21 balls, and Neesham 35 not out off 23.
“We knew anything above 150 would be good,” Neesham said.
The chase started OK. Michael van Lingen and Stephan Baard gave Namibia its best opening stand of the tournament, 47 to the eighth over.
Read: Bangladesh team for ICC Women’s World Cup announced
Namibia was still OK after 14 overs at 85-3, but when it needed to up the pace like New Zealand did, it couldn’t.
New Zealand pacer Tim Southee removed Wiese and Zane Green and Namibia’s hopes rapidly faded. Trent Boult took two more wickets for ducks.
Namibia, out of playoffs contention, finishes against India on Monday.
Tigers return home after World Cup failure
All members of Bangladesh cricket team except four returned home Friday afternoon after a dismal performance in the T20 World Cup.
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar and Ltion Das will return later.
Most of the coaching staff members will join the team later when the team will start preparation for the Pakistan series on November 12.
Bangladesh won two matches in Round 1 of the World Cup and qualified for the Super 12s. But they failed to win any of five matches they played in the Super 12s stage. They got close against Sri Lanka and West Indies but failed to seal the matches.
Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh sign off with a big defeat to Australia
The Tigers were heavily reliant on their experienced players like Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur and Shakib Al Hasan.
All of them have a dismal show in the World Cup. The players like Soumya Sarkar, Liton and Mustafizur Rahman also failed to click in this World Cup which will be remembered as a cricketing catastrophe to Bangladeshi fans.
With the scars of World Cup failure fresh, the Tigers will take on Pakistan in a three-match T20Is and two-match Test series at home starting from November 19.
Read: Bangladesh team for ICC Women’s World Cup announced
While the first match of the T20 series will take place on November 19 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, the other matches will be played on November 20 and 22. The first Test will be played in Chattogram from November 26 while the second Test will be played from December 4 in Dhaka.
Sri Lanka ends West Indies' hopes of T20 World Cup semis
Sri Lanka ended defending champion West Indies' slim hopes of advancing to the semifinals with an emphatic 20-run victory in their last T20 World Cup game on Thursday.
Young batters Charith Asalanka (68) and Pathum Nissanka (51) toyed with the seven-man West Indies attack in raising Sri Lanka's highest total of 189-3 in their final Group 1 game by slamming powerful half centuries.
In reply, West Indies, which won the toss and elected to field, lost their power hitters cheaply before getting restricted at 169-8.
Shimron Hetmyer narrowed the defeat with a fighting unbeaten 81 off 54 balls, but Sri Lanka always looked favorite to sign off from the tournament on a winning note.
"These youngsters have been working hard, so I'm really happy," said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanka. "They worked really hard for this. They have a long career ahead and a lot of good cricket to come."
The 42-year-old Chris Gayle could score only 1, Andre Russell made only 9 while the world's new No. 1 T20 bowler, legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2-19), clean bowled Dwayne Bravo (1) and captain Kieron Pollard for zero as West Indies lost wickets with regular intervals in a steep chase.
Read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh sign off with a big defeat to Australia
"(Hasaranga) is a gem. He's a superstar in the making," Shanaka said. "There's a lot of cricket to be played, we have to protect him as well (but) as a captain, I back him in every situation."
Inexperienced Sri Lanka bowed out of the tournament with four points in Super 12s, defeating Bangladesh and West Indies while losing to England, South Africa and Australia.
Two-time champion West Indies, having a solitary win over Bangladesh, takes on Australia in their last group game on Saturday.
"We have spoken time and time again, especially from a batting perspective, what we need to do as individuals and we have not done well," Pollard said. "A couple of young guys are putting up their hands but the experienced guys, myself included, have not done well."
West Indies had a mathematical chance to go through to the last four, but Asalanka and Nissanka combined in a brilliant 91-run second-wicket stand.
The West Indies' most experienced bowler Bravo was smashed for 42 off his four overs. Bravo finally broke the stand when Nissanka holed out in the deep in the 16th over.
Ravi Rmpaul and Jason Holder also couldn't impress and finished with identical figure of 0-37.
Read: Bangladesh team for ICC Women’s World Cup announced
The Sri Lanka fielders showed plenty of athleticism on the field with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne holding onto stunning catches to dismiss Roston Chase and Holder, respectively.
Hetmyer, who hit eight fours and four sixes, narrowed the margin of defeat in the last three overs through some big hitting against fast bowler Karunaratne (2-43) and Dushmantha Chameera (1-41).
"We are not going to hide from the fact that it's been disappointing for us," Pollard said. "I'm sure all the guys are hurting in that dressing room. It's something we didn't see coming, but we have to face the reality."
T20 World Cup 2021: AFG vs. NZ Match will determine the second semifinalist in Group 2
Pakistan advanced to the semifinals after winning four consecutive games in group 2, while their arch-rival India had a poor start to the T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. Thankfully, the Indian team easily defeated the Afghan team by 66 runs in their third match. With this win, India are still in contention for a semifinal berth. However, the match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will ultimately determine the second semifinalist in Group 2. The match preview of the Afghanistan vs. New Zealand match is discussed in this article.
Notable T20I Records of Afghanistan and New Zealand
Here are some notable records of Afghanistan and New Zealand in Twenty20 International.
Significant T20I records: Afghanistan and New Zealand
Afghanistan
New Zealand
Most Runs
Mohammad Shahzad (2011)
Martin Guptill (3,069)
Highest Score
Hazratullah Zazai (162*)
Brendon McCullum (123)
Most Fifties
Mohammad Shahzad (13)
Martin Guptill (20)
Most Wickets
Rashid Khan (100)
Tim Southee (102)
Best Bowling Figures
Rashid Khan (5/3)
Tim Southee (5/18)
Highest Partnership
Hazratullah Zazai & Usman Ghani (236)
DP Conway & GD Phillips (184)
Most Catches
Mohammad Nabi (47)
Martin Guptill (61)
Most Dismissals
Mohammad Shahzad (57)
Brendon McCullum (32)
Most Matches
Mohammad Nabi (85)
Martin Guptill (105)
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Dravid appointed Team India's new head coach
Afghanistan Team
Afghanistan would have a huge test in the meeting against New Zealand. They must rejuvenate the team and need to identify an ideal playing XI, capable of posing a threat to New Zealand.
Afghanistan's bowling effort against India appeared to be ineffective because of the absence of off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Rashid khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Sharafuddin Ashraf all were expensive in the match. They must resolve the issue prior to the match against the Blackcaps. Mujeeb will surely make a comeback against New Zealand, which would be a big concern for the Kiwi side.
Read India get first points, beat Afghanistan at T20 World Cup
Predicted Playing XI:
Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Nabi (Captain), Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan
New Zealand Team
New Zealand batters fared well against Scotland. Particularly opener Martin Guptill had a good outing in the match. Therefore, they will go into the encounter against Afghanistan with full confidence. In comparison, New Zealand's bowling unit has shown more consistency and they must continue to do so again in this encounter as well. This might be a do-or-die encounter for the Kiwis, so they will give it everything they have got in this crucial battle.
Predicted Playing XI:
Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (C), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Read T20 World Cup: Imperious India post 210 vs Afghanistan
How AFG-NZ fixture would be the ultimate decider
New Zealand and India have two games left, while Afghanistan have one game in hand in the Super 12 Round of the T20 World Cup 2021. New Zealand are anticipated to win over Namibia, but the match against Afghanistan will be difficult for them. The situation will change if New Zealand lose the match against Afghanistan.
On the other hand, India must win both of their remaining matches against Scotland and Namibia to be in contention for a semifinal berth. The team with the better run rates will advance to the semifinals if each of the three teams has six points.
Fixture:
Afghanistan vs. New Zealand | Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Date: November 7
Read National Cricket: Khulna thrashes Dhaka with an innings defeat
Verdict
Afghanistan and New Zealand are now in second and third position in Group 2, however the fate of New Zealand in the competition is in their own hands. If they win the remainder of their Super 12 fixtures, they won't have to rely on the outcomes of other games. On the other hand, Afghanistan are ready to shatter their dream and they are more than capable of doing it. This will be one of the most exciting matches in the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Bangladesh vs. Australia Match Preview
Bangladesh will play Australia in their last ICC T20 World Cup 2021 encounter on Thursday (November 4). The match will begin at 4 p.m. in Dubai. This match is crucial for Australia's chances of making the semifinals. If Australia win the match, they will be in a good position to advance to the knockout stage. On the other hand, Bangladesh have nothing to play for after losing to South Africa on Tuesday (November 2). However, will Bangladesh be able to make a strong finish to the tournament?
Also read: T20 World Cup: disastrous batting compounds Bangladesh miseries
Notable Bangladesh-Australia T20I Records
Bangladesh recently defeated Australia in a bilateral T20I series at home. Therefore, Bangladesh's twenty20 format record against Australia has improved. Take a look at some of the noteworthy T20I records between these two national teams.
Bangladesh vs. Australia: Noteworthy T20I Record
Bangladesh
Australia
Matches Played (9)
4
5
Most Runs
Shakib Al Hasan (257 runs in 9 innings)
Mitchell Marsh (162 runs in 6 innings)
Highest Score
Shakib Al Hasan (66)
Mathew Hayden (73*)
Most Fifties
Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad (1)
Mathew Hayden, Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh (1)
Most Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan (12)
Josh Hazlewood (8)
Best Bowling Figures
Shakib Al Hasan (4/9)
Dirk Nannes (4/18)
Most Matches
Shakib Al Hasan (9)
Mitchell Marsh (6)
Highest Partnership
Shakib Al Hasan & Mushfiqur Rahim (112)
Adam Gilchrist & Mathew Hayden (104)
Most Catches
Mahmudullah Riyad (5)
Ashton Agar (5)
Most Dismissals
Nurul Hasan (4)
Mathew Wade (4)
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Also read: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh bat first vs South Africa
Bangladesh
Bangladesh have nothing to lose in this match, therefore the players won't be under any pressure. Captain Mahmudullah has one last chance to show his leadership potential in a neutral venue. Bangladesh's recent record against Australia will surely restore faith in the players despite the fact that the conditions and surface are both different from Mirpur's sluggish pitch.
Some of Australia's A-list players were also unable to partake in the series. But a full-strength Australian national team will face a wounded Bangladesh side on Thursday. Bangladesh can win the contest if the players are determined to display their true ability. Even if Bangladesh win this match, they will not be able to advance to the semifinals. Bangladesh would be able to finish the tournament on a high note if they win.
Read T20 World Cup: Tigers in desperate search for consolation win
The team management may decide to include him in the lineup given Nasum Ahmed's success against Australian batters in the recent bilateral series.
Probable Playing XI
Mohammad Naim, Liton Das (wicket-keeper), Afif Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
Australia
Australia must win this match to remain in contention for a semifinal place. Australia are in third place with four points, just two points behind second-placed South Africa. Their main goal would be to win this match by a big margin because South Africa and England both have better run rates than Australia. Their net run rates will improve with a huge win. In this context, Australia will come out with a lot of aggression against Bangladesh. Therefore, the Bangladesh team must be even more prepared to face the Aussie side.
Read T20 World Cup: Tigers in desperate search for consolation win
Probable Playing XI
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wicket-keeper), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Verdict
Bangladesh have only won two matches in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Sadly, the two victories came in the qualifying phase against weaker opponents. In that perspective, the Tigers ' performance in this tournament has been a complete failure. They may finish the tournament in a positive way by winning their last match against Australia. Bangladesh's recent home series victory against Australia would boost the players' confidence. However, Australia are more in desperate need of a win than Bangladesh. Therefore, the team Tigers will face another tough challenge in this tournament.
Read ICC Ranking Update: Nabi catches up Shakib
Finally, Tigers out of World Cup semi-final race
A six-wicket defeat to South Africa on Tuesday ended Bangladesh’s slim chance to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
To grab the slimmest chance to book a berth in the semi-finals, Bangladesh had a must-win situation in their matches against South Africa (played today) and the final game against Australia.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh batted first in this match and posted only 84 runs suffering the worst batting collapse in this World Cup.
In reply, South Africa sealed the match with six wickets in hand in 13.3 overs with the captain Temba Bavuma hitting the highest 31 not out.
Taskin Ahmed was Bangladesh’s best bowler taking two wickets conceding 18 runs off four overs.
Earlier, four Bangladeshi batters— Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain and Nasum Ahmed— each suffered a duck and three of them fell for golden ducks.
While going to 35 from 22, Bangladesh lost five wickets— three to Kagiso Rabada inside five balls.
Also read: T20 World Cup: disastrous batting compounds Bangladesh miseries
Rabada led the terrific bowling display from South Africa on a pitch that had something in it for the quicks.
Rabada conceded 20 runs to take three wickets in four overs, Anrich Nortje also bagged three wickets conceding eight runs in 3.3 overs.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Bangladesh, India can still qualify for Semifinals if …
Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 were all but over following their loss to the West Indies on Friday (October 29). On the other hand, India's pursuit for a semifinal berth came to a halt after two successive losses to Pakistan and New Zealand. However, both teams have a chance to advance to the knockout rounds, but much will rely on the results of the remaining Super 12 round fixtures. Let's see how Bangladesh and India can make the semifinals.
The way Bangladesh can reach the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals
Bangladesh must first and foremost ensure that they win their remaining matches against South Africa and Australia by a large margin. Because a big winning margin will help Bangladesh in improving run rates, which will be the determining factor if all other group 1 outcomes go in Bangladesh's favor.
Read Tamim to miss T20Is home series vs Pakistan
Bangladesh's chances of reaching the semifinals will be aided by the following results:
# England must win by a large margin against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
# Sri Lanka must defeat the West Indies by a small margin.
# West Indies have to defeat Australia.
Also Read: Can Bangladesh improve ranking before T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12’s ending?
Bangladesh have a mathematical (run rates) chance of making the semifinals if the above results come true.
Bangladesh’s remaining super 12s fixtures:
Date: November 2 | Against: South Africa | Venue: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date: November 4 | Against: Australia | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Players to watch
Mohammad Naim: T20I: 27 | Runs: 718 | HS: 81 | 50s: 4 | SR: 107.48
Afif Hossain: T20I: 34 | Runs: 427 | HS: 52 | SR: 123.05 | Wkts: 7 | BBI: 2/9 | SR: 17.1
Nasum Ahmed: T20I: 16 | Wkts: 21 | BBI: 4/10 | Econ: 6.59 | SR: 14.5
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Predicted Playing XI against South Africa
Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Afif Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed
How India can finish second in group 2 points table
India must first win their remaining matches against Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia by a huge margin. Because big margins of victory will increase their run rates.
Also Read: India crushed again at T20 World Cup, this time by NZ
India will also be wishing that Afghanistan defeats New Zealand by a small margin, allowing New Zealand to finish the group with only three victories. Because Scotland and Namibia are expected to lose against New Zealand. If these outcomes go in India's favor, they all (India, Afghanistan, and New Zealand) will get six points. The team with the best run rates will then progress to the semifinals.
Read India crushed again at T20 World Cup, this time by NZ
India’s remaining super 12s fixtures:
Date: November 3 | Against: Afghanistan | Venue: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date: November 5 | Against: Scotland | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Date: November 8 | Against: Namibia | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Players to Watch
Rohit Sharma: T20I: 113 | Runs: 2,878 | HS: 118 | 50s: 22 | SR: 138.63
Virat Kohli: T20I: 92 | Runs: 3,225 | HS: 94* | 50s: 29 | SR: 137.93
Jasprit Bumrah: T20I: 52 | Wkts: 61 | BBI: 3/11 | Econ: 6.63 | SR: 18.3
Read Afghanistan thump Namibia by 62 runs in T20 World Cup
Predicted Playing XI against Afghanistan
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli (C), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Aftermath
Bangladesh are presently at the bottom of group 1's points standings with 0 points. As opposed to, India are currently placed the second bottom in group 2 in terms of points. England have a 100 percent winning record in Group 1 and they have already qualified for the semifinals. On the other hand, Pakistan have qualified for the semifinals after winning three matches in a row in Group 2.
Read Shakib ruled out of T20 World Cup
The prospects of Bangladesh and India reaching the semifinals are highly reliant on ifs and buts. However, India have a little edge in comparison to Bangladesh. Because India have three games left in the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, whereas Bangladesh have only two.
Can Bangladesh improve ranking before T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12’s ending?
Bangladesh are ranked eighth in the ICC T20I rankings as of October 26. Team Tigers might improve their current position if they win the remaining Super 12 matches in the T20 World Cup 2021. Bangladesh will face South Africa on Tuesday (November 2) and Australia on Thursday (November 4) before coming back home. However, Tigers will have to rely on some of the other Super 12 round fixtures in order to climb up the ICC rankings. Let's look at how Bangladesh can better its ranking in the T20 format.
Probable Ranking Scenarios at the end of Super 12 of T20 World Cup 2021
England are now ranked top in the ICC T20 team rankings according to the latest update on October 26. Both Asian powers, India and Pakistan are placed second and third. South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia are ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies are positioned seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively.
Bangladesh's prospects of rising in the rankings
Read: Please buy T20 World Cup tickets, pleads Afghanistan captain
First and foremost Bangladesh have to do their part to improve its ranking. They must defeat South Africa and Australia in order to boost their rating to 240. Bangladesh will almost certainly move up to sixth place if Australia lose to the West Indies in Group 1 and Afghanistan lose to India and New Zealand in Group 2. Despite Sri Lanka's strong performance in the current T20 World Cup 2021, their results will have no impact on Bangladesh's ranking improvement.
On the other hand, the team tigers will have 234 rating points if they lose both of their remaining matches. Depending on the outcome of the other matches, they may stay in their current position. Both Sri Lanka and the West Indies have a chance to pass Bangladesh for the eighth and ninth places, respectively.
Read T20 WC: Sri Lanka’s Hasaranga hits hat-trick against South Africa
The scenario of other top teams in terms of rankings
World no.1 England's position in the ICC T20 team rankings will not change even if they lose all of their remaining Super 12 matches. On the other hand, India will drop to third place if they lose one of their last four matches in this round. Whereas Pakistan would move up to second place if they finish the round unbeaten.
New Zealand are in a safe position with better rating points. If India have a bad run in the Super 12, New Zealand will stay in fourth place or possibly climb to third.
Read: Shakib, Sohan uncertain for SA clash
South Africa will remain in fifth place even if they lose their matches against Bangladesh and England. However, if Australia lose both of its remaining matches against Bangladesh and the West Indies, they are at risk of falling to seventh place.
Afghanistan will move up to sixth place if they win two of their remaining three Super 12 matches. On the other side, Sri Lanka and the West Indies may each improve one spot in the ICC Twenty20 team rankings depending on the outcomes of the remaining super 12 round matches.
Verdict
Bangladesh's primary objective would be to win their remaining T20 World Cup 2021 matches in order to reclaim some pride. If they win those games, the Tigers have a chance to improve their team ranking. Bangladesh would move up the standings if Sri Lanka and Afghanistan lose one of their remaining games in the Super 12 round. As the race for a semifinal berth heats up, no team will take any of their remaining fixtures lightly.
Read England gives old rival Australia 8-wicket thrashing at WCup