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Old April 4, 2014, 04:17 PM
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al Furqaan al Furqaan is offline
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Join Date: February 18, 2004
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Default Looking Ahead: 2015 World Cup Thoughts

This is going to be a collection of my thoughts heading into the final 10 months before the World Cup. The WT20 campaign has illustred our weaknesses and a couple areas of potential as well. I will try to organize the post as best as I can, hopefully this can be the start of a discussion going forward for the next 10 months and after the tournament is over, we can appraise just how we fared. I will attempt to evaluate our performance game by game as the tournament progresses and give a final evaluation based on this rubric at the conclusion.

KEY FOCUS AREAS

Personnel
Mushfiq and Shakib are the least incapable men to lead the side as captain. At this point, neither looks like a good option and both seem to be equally bad. Thus I don't think it matters. The BCB is unlikely to appoint a new captain this close to a world cup anyways.

I do however think Anamul should take over as the full time WK. Mushfiq is neither naturally skilled for the job, nor does he have the reach on account of his stature to collect errant balls. Mushfiq fumbles way too many stumping chances, and concedes too many wides and byes to persist with him.

If he will be selected - which is fairly likely - Mahmudullah should attempt to reinvent himself as a specialist off spinner who bats a bit. Of late he's been bowling better than our Gazi, so this is not a far-fetched idea. His batting remains a liability which is why he should not be considered as an all-rounder but as a specialist bowler.

Razzak doesn't offer anything anymore. Terrible bowling, zero batting, and wretched fielding. A source has told me that Razzak actually doesn't even have the intention of playing for the national team anymore, but the for some reason the BCB continues to select him.

Mashrafee should only be selected if he is fully fit and expected to last the distance. If selected the BCB had better bring injury cover along from the very beginning, meaning an unofficial squad of 16 players. We cannot bring in a jet-lagged seamer when Mortaza goes down. And injured he will get.

Overall Strategy
The goal should be to beat Afghanistan and Scotland, preferably with large margins and then look to knock off as many other teams as we can and look to qualify for the QFs. The simpler the plan, the less likely it goes wrong. There will be enough complications as the tournament progresses as upsets have occurred in every world cup since 1996.

Net Run Rates have to be boosted against Afghanistan and Scotland. Simply winning is not enough. That means that if we get into a tight situation against them where the discussion becomes one of "first lets ensure we beat them" then we have already been disqualified at the group stage. Simple as that.

Middle Order Batting/Big Hitting
Zia is probably one of the best we have, which is frightening because he's not very good. Sabbir could be the other option, but his hitting capabilities are unknown. We need to find a big hitter because we will struggle to score even 60 runs off the last 10 overs if our top order batsman aren't there. I think that we should seriously look at Abul Hasan as an all rounder. The guy is huge and he is strong and he can hit the ball. Also could double as a genuinely quick third or fourth seamer in AUS/NZ conditions.

Death Over Bowling
Al Amin seems to be the man to close out the innings with his intelligent use of yorkers, wide yorkers, and slower balls. We must find another bowler so that we have 2 men who can bowl the last 4-5 overs without conceding 50+. Under no circumstance should Mashrafee bowl inside the last 10 overs, and it seems that Mushfiq has finally understood at least that much.

Fielding
This is one area we have to improve and the one area where any team can be the best. Sloths like Razzak needed to be booted. Ground fielding and catching both have to improve. Sitters cannot be dropped like we have been the last several weeks.

In Game Strategy
Unfortunately, with Mushfiq at the helm and SJ or whoever is our manager, we can only expect brain dead script reading here. But some of the areas that we need work on are:

- tweaking the batting order according to match situation and or NRR requirements
- field placements according to weakness of batsmen
- bowler management
- miscellaneous

Top Order Strike Rotation
Although the criticism of our openers not being able to take singles in the powerplay is excessive - remember there are 7 men in the ring cutting off most singles - our players still need to work on this facet of the game. In particular hard running to convert the ones into twos and the twos into rare threes, may make the difference between coming home early and sticking around for at least one more game.

AREAS OF [RELATIVE] STRENGTH

Top Order Batting
Our top order batting isn't as inept as it once was. Since Oct 1, 2011 we rank 7th in run rate when batting first, at 5.04 runs per over, ranking ahead of WI, PAK, and ZIM. We are just behind SL who score at 5.05 rpo, and given how weak our late hitting is, our top order probably ranks at least 6th ahead of SL's too. That is not bad at all, and speaks of the skill that Anamul, Mushfiq, and Shakib possess. If Tamim gets his form back, we'll easily be a middle of the pack top order. Our lower order, however, is amongst the worst, if not the worse because ZIM who have the lowest first innings RR at a paltry 4.47 have Chigumbura to up the tempo. We need to improve plain and simple, and that has been addressed in this post above.

Disciplined Bowling
There was a cricinfo article a few weeks ago that mentioned that Bangladesh are the amongst the best teams in terms of avoiding wides and no balls. I think it said we were the 2nd best team. We need to continue that trend. Getting ridding of Razzak will probably help a great deal towards that front.

TEAM SELECTION

This is obviously my dream selection, 10 months before the fact. Once the official squad is named, I'll critique it, and then again critique it after the tournament is over.

Opening Batsmen
Tamim Iqbal (Left Hand Batsman) - We all know his talent; he's the second most naturally gifted batsman we've produced, after the disgraced Ashraful. The only thing worse than his current form is his fitness. For any batsman to miss even 10% of his career games due to injury is unacceptable, and Tamim has probably missed close to 15% with myriad niggles here and there. If he's healthy and in form, he can be devastating. Needs to work on his fitness, strike rotation, and calling slash running between the wickets. I am predicting that he will do well in AUS/NZ where the ball comes nicely onto the bat. In 6 games he needs to score 50+ four of more times, with hopefully one of those being converted past 100.

Anamul Haque (Right Hand Batsman, Wicket-Keeper)- He's got some talent with his hitting ability once he gets set. His hooking/pulling in the Asia Cup off of genuine speedsters like Aaron, Gul, and Talha lends reasons to be optimistic in the World Cup. He needs to work on his footwork and strike rotation. I don't mind him slowing down a bit and being "selfish" when nearing a hundred provided its not excessive and he makes up for it later or we have enough wickets for someone else to make up for it. Just cuz he hits 50 off 50 balls doesn't mean his next 50 has to come at a run a ball too. Should also be made the new WK permanently.

Shamsur Rahman (Right Hand Batsman) - In purely as a backup and not a terrible backup either considering Javed and Imrul were our starters in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, respectively.

Middle Order Batsmen
Mominul Haque (Left Hand Batsman) - Needs a long go to make the #3 position his own. Showed flashes of brilliance against SL and PAK, and I believe he has the brains and the skills to succeed at this position in this format. Only serious flaw is that he lacks power for late order hitting. Regardless, I'm the biggest fan of this little guy.

Mushfiqur Rahim (Right Hand Batsman) - Needs to be a specialist batsman and give up the gloves. There is no doubt that he's the most polished batsman Bangladesh have produced to date. Its one of the rare managerial successes that whoever was in charge recognized his ability and the team's need to have him bat in the all-important #4 position.

Nasir Hossain (Right Hand Batsman) - Let me go on the record and say that I believe in Nasir Hossain. He's endured some poor form, both personally and of the team, and that has reflected in his terrible batting and equally horrendous fielding. But form is temporary and class is permanent as the saying goes, and Illmatic has shown plenty of class in the early years of his career to prove that he's here to stay.

Sabbir Rahman (Right Hand Batsman) - Largely untested, and at this point I know very little about his game except to say that if he lives up to our expectations, then he is a shoo in for our limited overs sides. I'll write more on him in the coming months.

Fast Bowlers

Mashrafee bin Mortaza (Right Arm Fast Medium) - The lion-hearted bowler should only be selected if he is fully fit and can be expected to play in every match. He is still a decent bowler, and Mushy seems to have realized that bowling his full quota maximizes his production. His control and experience will be essential to the rest of the [largely] inexperienced seam attack.

Al-Amin Hossain (Right Arm Fast Medium) - Seems to be a thinking bowler and that alone should earn him a spot in the playing XI. He might be the answer to the long-standing question of who should bowl at the death. Clever usage of the slower ball and mixing up yorkers is a skill that he has and that already makes him a prime candidate to be our spearhead. His height should allow him to generate good bounce.

Rubel Hossain (Right Arm Fast Medium) - He's been blowing hot and cold lately, but he was our best seamer in the last world cup and I thought he did quite well. Needs to regain the yorkers he once had, but should still not bowl at the death. It will be interesting to see how fast he can bowl Down Under.

Ziaur Rahman (Right Arm Medium Fast) - He should not be considered as an all-rounder but he does have the power to hit big and that is something we desperately need. His bowling is not bad at all and his style is well-suited to the ODI format. If he plays he should be used a specialist seamer, and possibly promoted up the order for some pinch-hitting.

Taskin Ahmed (Right Arm Fast) - His performance in the only 4 overs he bowled so far has exceeded my expectations...and I had lofty expectations to begin with. He should work closely with the physio to ensure that he is fit and ready to go. If all goes as planned he seems like the bowler who can generate bounce, get movement, and beat batsmen for pace. In addition he seems to be a genuine wicket-taking threat with the aggression needed to keep batsmen in check. I firmly believe he will revolutionize our seam attack and that the sky is limit for him.

Spin Bowlers

Shohag Gazi (Off Break) - Gazi's current form is not impressive and I am not too sure he will or should be the lead by the time the world cup starts. He is going to have to work hard in order to stave off the competition for his spot in the team.

All-Rounders

Shakib al Hasan (Left Hand Batsman, Left Arm Orthodox) - Did not perform outstandingly in the last world cup so I expect him to better his game for this one. Needs to stop giving ridiculous interviews and work hard in the nets. The rest will take care of itself.

Abul Hasan (Right Arm Fast Medium, Left Hand Batsman) - I'm picking him because we need depth at fast bowling, but we also need a strong power hitter, which I think Abul might be able to provide. He's an immensely strong guy and his Test batting indicates he can at least hold a bat. With him in the side, we would also have three (yes three!) bowlers capable of exceeding 90 mph with the ball in Aussie-Kiwi conditions.

That completes my squad of 15 players. Obviously a few names could change in the 10 months we have remaining. I'll update this threat accordingly as time goes on. The following players I feel may be knocking on cracking our final 15 man squad:

Reserve Players
Mahmudullah (Off Break) - I don't want to consider him a batsman or even an all-rounder anymore. He does seem to be one of the better off spinners we have and on current form is better than Gazi. I believe he might able to re-tool his game to become a specialist off spinner who can provide a little bonus with the bat.

Arafat Sunny (Left Arm Orthodox) - He could take the lead spin position away from Gazi and he seems to offer far more than the aging Razzak. He was unjustly left out of the WT20 squad so hopefully he has some added motivation to play hard.

Soumya Sarkar (Left Hand Batsman) - If he has a good strong domestic season, he could attract the attention of the selectors. At the moment he is too inconsistent to warrant serious consideration, but I think he is a fine talent.
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