The ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on October 16 and the multi-national tournament will be played in Australia. All 16 teams slated to participate in the competition are undergoing their final stretches of preparation. One out of those 16 teams is Bangladesh, a country that has grown in stature in cricket after gaining independence.
As a result of their continuous progress, even the best teams in the world are cautious while playing Bangladesh. The team doesn't just have the potential and talent to leave a lasting mark in a multi-national tournament but has a knack for pulling off major upsets. Let's take a closer look at the history of cricket in Bangladesh and their chances of making resounding noise in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Post-independence
It's important to note that Bangladesh was a part of India during the time of the British. But after India gained independence and partition took place between India and Pakistan, Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan. It was in 1971 when the nation got its identity and was then named Bangladesh. After earning their own identity, cricket started flourishing in Bangladesh.
Start of cricket
Bangladesh first played an international cricket match in 1979 when the country participated in the ICC Trophy qualifiers. In that competition, Bangladesh won two matches and lost two fixtures. Bangladesh played its first ODI match against Pakistan in the 1986 Asia Cup. The country increased its status in cricket and by defeating Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup. Similarly, in the 2007 ODI World Cup, Bangladesh defeated India and made a resounding statement. Later the team also went on to defeat teams like Australia on the big stage and were soon regarded as the 'giant killers'.
Bangladesh in T20Is
The T20 World Cup was first staged in 2007, and it is a competition that Bangladesh have never won in its history. The Asian side would look to weave their magic in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and claim the coveted trophy. Having said that, Bangladesh's performance in the recently held 2022 Asia Cup, which was a 20-over tournament, was disappointing as they tasted defeats against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. As a result, they were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
Bangladesh have so far won 47 matches in the history of T20 Internationals after playing 136 games in the shortest format of the game while they have lost 86 T20Is so far. Now Bangladesh, under the captaincy of Shakib Al Hasan, would like to forget the past and focus on making a fresh start in Australia.
Bangladesh's schedule for T20 World Cup 2022
1st match: Bangladesh vs A2, October 24, Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
2nd match: South Africa vs Bangladesh, October 27, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney.
3rd match: Bangladesh vs B1, October 30, The Gabba, Brisbane.
4th match: India vs Bangladesh, November 02, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.
5th match: Pakistan vs Bangladesh, November 06, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.
Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup: Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain, Mossadek Hossain, Litton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain, Nasum Ahmed.
Standby: Soumya Sarkar, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan.
