Can Bangladesh revamped team overcome the Asia Cup obstacle?
They have previously failed to achieve so three times. Bangladesh advanced to the 50-over Asia Cup final in 2012 and 2018, but they were unable to win the competition in 2016’s T20 format.
The overhauled Bangladesh team, which started preparing at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (August 29), would be eager to get things going as ODI skipper Shakib Al Hasan starts his new journey during this tournament.
Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal, two seasoned combatants who participated in all three finals, are unavailable this time. Tamim is completing his back rehabilitation while Mahmudullah was not taken into consideration because of his form.
In the Asia Cup, Bangladesh will concentrate on the following five areas:
Shakib as the ODI captain:
Shakib, the new ODI captain for Bangladesh, will be eager to introduce the reckless style of cricket that revolutionized the T20 team to the ODI system. Bangladesh’s seven-year home winning streak against England was broken in three ODI losses, and they were then humiliated by Afghanistan in a 50-over series. Shakib, however, led the team that dominated Afghanistan in the shortest format and completely swept England in the T20Is. Shakib will need to motivate the ODI team in a similar way.
fresh opening couple:
Litton Das’ elimination from the competition as a result of his failure to recover from an illness was a severe blow to Bangladesh. Anamul Hasan has taken Litton’s seat. Uncapped opener Tanzid Tamim is now able to compete at the highest level. Given that Litton will be returned and Tamim will only have one spot available for the backup opener position in the ODI team, he is anticipated to join Mohammad Naim, and both of them would be eager to take advantage of the situation.
The loss of Ebadot Hossain is devastating:
Before departing for Sri Lanka, both Bangladesh’s skipper and head coach acknowledged that Ebadot’s services would be missed. The bowling attack’s dynamics are altered by Ebadot’s absence. Previously, he would bowl the middle overs so Taskin Ahmed could utilize the fresh ball. It is still unclear how Taskin will fit in that role, although Ebadot’s pace was a key factor in his success in the middle overs. Given that he is more effective at the beginning and end of the innings, Hasan Mahmud is not the ideal option to bowl in the middle. The other replacements for Ebadot besides Taskin are Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam, but only time will tell if they will be as successful.
The seventh conundrum is:
Bangladesh is hoping that one of their players can have a significant influence at position No. 7. Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, and Shamim Patowary are among the many possibilities that are accessible to them, in addition to the current Mehidy Hasan, who batted at the position in the most recent couple of games.
Fielding and strategy:
Bangladesh will be careful to avoid making too many mistakes on the pitch. Although the young team has recently performed well, Bangladesh must be careful not to buckle under the pressure of a major event like the Asia Cup. With big teams competing, Bangladesh will be put to the test, and how they respond when forced into a difficult situation will define the squad as it looks to establish a name for itself at the next Asia Cup and World Cup.
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