Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was relishing the challenge of progressing to the Super 10 stage of the ICC World Twenty20 at home after the hosts were drawn to play in the first round of the tournament. In a major change to the format of the tournament, the ICC decided to hold it in two phases and Bangladesh have been asked to play in the preliminary round with Zimbabwe and six other qualifiers, who will be determined by November 30.
The eight teams will be divided into two round-robin groups of four teams each, with only the group winners progressing to the Super 10 stage. The eight top-ranked teams were given an automatic berth in the Super 10s.
The format had already received widespread criticism in Bangladesh, as it denied the Tigers a guaranteed opportunity to prove their mettle against the top sides in home conditions.
Mushfiq, however, was not ready to join the debate and said that it will rather work as an extra motivation for his side.
‘The rules and regulations are not in our hands,’ Mushfiq said at the ICC press conference in Dhaka. It’s an opportunity to play extremely well. It’s one kind of a new challenge, but as a cricketer you have to accept the challenge and get over it. The boys are very keen for that.
‘If we can play to our potential, we can beat any team. Although, we didn’t do that in the last three or four seasons, but we can do it this time.
‘First of all it’s a big opportunity and a big event for Bangladesh, not only for the players but for the whole country,’ said the Tigers’ skipper.
‘We will give our best shot for that, hopefully we will qualify from the first round and get through to the Super 10.’
ICC general manager Campbell Jamieson said that the decision to put hosts Bangladesh in the preliminary round was taken purely based on cricketing reasons and had no relation to the ICC’s commercial interests.
‘It’s been made based on ICC rankings,’ Campbell said at the press conference. ‘Basically, it was purely based on cricketing reasons.
‘With any sporting event in the world, it’s great for the event if the host nation goes all the way to the final.
‘Not just cricket, it’s been with football and rugby [too]. The ICC has been very fortunate in recent times where we had both India and Sri Lanka [make] it to the final in World Cup 2011 and World Twenty20 2012 respectively.
‘We had the Champions Trophy [this year] with England making it through to the final, now it’s up to the Bangladesh team,’ he said.
-With New Age input
