Not known to mince words, former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri trolled Bangladesh for their inconsistent batting order in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. Shastri, one of the many star-studded commentators calling World Cup matches for host broadcaster Star Sports Network, was baffled by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan batting at No. 6 against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
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Having lost six wickets within 32 overs, the sight of watching all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz joining Shakib too low down the order was too much to digest for Shastri. It was at this point in time that he chirped about Bangladesh choosing their batting order via a lottery system.
“Mere ko lagta hai yeh Bangladesh team aane ke pehle ground pe woh ek chitthi banate hai. 7-8 chitthi banate hai. Aur woh matke ke andar daalte hai. Phir jo pehle nikalta hai, woh jayega ek pe [I think Bangladesh make chits before coming to the ground. They make 7-8 chits and their order is decided via a lottery system. Whosoever’s name comes first, he will open],” Shastri said while calling the match in Hindi.
As much as Shastri’s statement sounds like a joke, there’s a lot of truth hidden in it. Apart from the opening pair, all other batters have been shifted up and down rigorously throughout 2023 World Cup. One of Bangladesh’s most important players, Miraz hasn’t batted at the same position in two consecutive matches to everyone’s surprise.
Shakib, who is doubtlessly Bangladesh’s backbone, has himself danced up and down the order. Excluding a match he missed, he also readily demoted himself to make matters worse. Senior all-rounder Mahmudullah, on the contrary, started at No. 8 only to bat at No. 5 in Kolkata earlier this week.
Numerous changes within a month have muddled the players with respect to their roles. A minimum of one performance is enough for this Bangladeshi team management to tinker with the order in a ploy which hasn’t worked at all for them.
Bangladesh Might Not Even Qualify For ICC Champions Trophy 2025
In addition to hosts Pakistan, the Top 7 teams of this World Cup will qualify for ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With just two more league matches remaining for Bangladesh, it is rather an uphill task for them to secure a spot for the next global competition in this format. Currently, they have won just one out of their seven matches.
Looking at how the Bangla Tigers have played thus far, it is difficult to imagine them defeating Sri Lanka and Australia next week. Even if they manage to beat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will still finish with just a couple of wins which might not be enough for being among the Top 8 teams (including Pakistan).
As a matter of fact, Bangladesh will have to register victories in both these games in order to qualify. At the moment, their NRR is -1.446 which is almost certain of haunting them despite two successive wins.
One of the four semi-finalists during ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Bangladesh had missed out on qualification in the 2009 and 2013 editions as well. Speaking to Star Sports after facing Pakistan, Miraz had talked about the prospect of not missing another mini World Cup.
“If we can’t play in the Champions Trophy, naturally, it will hurt us. It will be bad for us,” Miraz told Star Sports.
Other than Bangladesh, current ODI and T20I champions England are also in danger of not qualifying for the Champions Trophy. Much like Bangladesh, they have won only one match thus far. For keeping their chances alive, Englishmen will have to win their remaining three matches. It will be an “upset” like no other in case England fail to make their way to an ICC tournament in Pakistan.
