Bangladesh did not have the best of times in the T20 World Cup 2024.
The Tigers failed to qualify for the semi-final after losing all their matches in the Super 8. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s men lost to Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan by 8 runs (DLS) in their last and final game in St Vincent. Until the last day of the Super 8 phase, they were in contention for a place in the semis, although they had lost to India and Australia.
After being asked to chase down 116 in 12.1 overs to qualify, Litton Das and others played their shots. But the regular loss of wickets meant that they succumbed to the extreme pressure exerted by the Afghan bowlers. Bangladesh started with a win over Sri Lanka, after which they came close to beating South Africa before taking down the Netherlands and Nepal.
But they would be utterly disappointed with the way they turned up in the Super 8s. Shakib Al Hasan, who was supposed to be a key for them, faltered throughout the championship, barring his odd half-century against the Dutch. However, Bangladesh went away with some positives that could help them grow as a team in the near future.
Rishad Hossain has arguably been Bangladesh’s biggest takeaway from the tournament. Prior to the World Cup, Rishad was seen as a surprise element, and he did not let the Tigers down. The 21-year-old finished as the top wicket-taker with 14 scalps from 7 games at an economy rate of 7.76. Under the guidance of bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, Rishad has taken strides in his international career.
With a couple of 3-wicket hauls to his name against the Netherlands and Afghanistan, Rishad showed that he is someone for the long haul. During the match against the Afghans, the youngster also broke the legendary Shakib Al Hasan’s record for most wickets by a Bangladeshi bowler in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
Rishad is also someone who can hit the ball a long distance, as was seen in the World Cup. He had the best strike-rate amongst all his teammates (153.84). He also smashed 3 sixes against India and played a handy 24-run cameo of 10 balls.
Towhid Hridoy’s boldness
Towhid Hridoy was the standout batter for Bangladesh in the tournament. While the Tigers’ batters faced questions regarding their intent in the middle, Hridoy was someone who fearlessly played his shots. The aggression in his batting was evident when he slammed Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga for 3 sixes in a row during the match against Sri Lanka in Dallas.
He followed it up with a handy 37-run knock against the Proteas, although it went in vain. Against Australia, where the likes of Shakib and Litton Das could not get going, Hridoy played some handsome shots to score 40 runs off 28 balls. Overall, amongst their specialist batters, he had the best strike-rate of 128.57 and finished as their leading run-scorer with 153 runs from 7 games.
Tanzim Hasan’s aggressive intent
Tanzim Hasan Sakib bowled with a lot of fire and heart in the World Cup. Sakib was picked in the squad ahead of Mohammad Saifuddin as the selectors felt that the latter needed to improve his death bowling. Sakib wasn’t Bangladesh’s first choice as Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were set to be the 3 pacers.
But the rub of the green favoured Sakib after Shoriful sustained an injury in the warm-up match against India. From there on, Sakib did not look back and finished as Bangladesh’s standout pacer in the tournament. The speedster picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.20.
In the match against Nepal, he had set the then record for most dot balls (21) in a T20I innings of a T20 World Cup match. Against India, he breathed fire after dismissing Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in quick succession. Member of Bangladesh’s U19 World Cup-winning squad in 2020, Sakib is a player for the future.
When Bangladesh lost 1-2 to the United States, there were not much expectations from them, who looked clueless in the series. Having never done well in T20 World Cups, it needed a miracle for them to give the big teams a run for their money. Against heavyweights like India and Australia, Shanto’s men fell flat on their faces. Not making much improvement in the T20 format, Bangladesh cricket needs a complete overhaul to garner laurels and earn respect of the cricket world.