Bangladesh national cricket team will be eager to erase their bitter memories of the last twelve months by winning their second successive gold medal at the 17th Asian Games when the Twenty20 event kicks off in Incheon on October 1. The Tigers will directly play in the knock-out stage along with Sri Lanka for being a Test nation and seeded sides in the competition. Despite being the defending champions after they gave the nation [Bangladesh] its first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games by defeating Afghanistan in a pulsating final in Guangzhou, China, in 2010, their recent performance in all formats of the game has been dismal.
They have lost 13 of their last 16 one-day internationals and 9 of their last 11 Twenty20 matches that include the debacle against Hong Kong in the World Twenty20. They have also lost 3 and drawn 3 in the last 6 Test matches, which include the latest 2-0 series loss to West Indies.
So, at a time when the Tigers’ back is to the wall, they really need to win the cricket gold in Incheon to boost their morale as well as give the local cricket fans something to cheer.
Mashrafee bin Murtaza will be leading Bangladesh in the absence of regular captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who will be getting married during the course of the games.
‘The gold medal will definitely help us raise our confidence level, because we failed to play according to our potential in the recent past series,’ Mashrafee told New Age on Thursday.
‘Every game, series or tournament is equally important to us. So the Asian Games gold will be among the top on our priority list to grab. We need to win it at any cost,’ said the ace paceman.
The national selectors also formed a strong squad for the back-to-back title victory unlike the last time when the Tigers were champions under Mohammad Ashraful, who is currently serving an eight-year ban for match-fixing in the BPL.
The tournament will also mark the return of one of the world’s best all-rounders, Sakib al Hasan, from suspension imposed on him by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Sakib and fast bowler Rubel Hossain were the late inclusions in the team as replacements for off-spinner Sohag Gazi and pacer Al-Amin Hossain, who both were reported for suspected illegal bowling action by the International Cricket Council during the Tigers’ just concluded series against the West Indies and will undergo biomechanical tests.
Mashrafee also thinks that the squad will be strengthened by the return of their ace-all rounder but still it won’t be easy when they begin their campaign at the newly-built Yeonhi Cricket Ground on October 1.
‘There is no doubt that Sakib’s return will bolster our morale. His presence will certainly have an impact on the team. But it won’t be easy for us as Sri Lanka are a very strong side while Afghanistan are slowly becoming a difficult Twenty 20 opposition,’ said Mashrafee.
‘We are playing with almost our national team in the Games and this squad have the ability to retain the gold,’ Mashrafee added.
All-rounder Sabbir Rahman, who earned fame for his heroics in the final of the last edition, is also looking forward to repeating a similar feat.
Sabbir propelled the Tigers to gold against the Afghans with his unbeaten 33 runs which included two sixes in the penultimate over to swing the match in Tigers favour.
‘I think it would be a tremendous achievement if we can retain the gold. Our cricket is going through a bad patch in recent times and we need to come out of it through an impressive performance in the Asian Games,’ added Sabbir.
Bangladesh team will fly to South Korea on September 27.
Squad
Masrafee bin Murtaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mithun Ali, Shamsur Rahman, Sakib al Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Muktar Ali, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed.
-With New Age input
