Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Still room for improvement

The under pressure Bangladesh side achieved the best of all possible outcomes in Chittagong after a shocking defeat against West Indies to revive the flagging enthusiasm among the cricket crazy fans in the country about the ICC World Cup.
Taking advantage of the conditions the Tigers displayed a splendid team spirit to script a famous two-wicket victory over England which was followed by a comfortable six-wicket win against Netherlands on way to keeping their quarterfinal chances very much alive.
On both occasions, the bowlers laid the foundations as the slow and low surface in the port city suited them most. But the most encouraging fact was that the team played together as a perfect ‘unit’. There had been lot of talk about the team’s recent dependence on two players in captain Shakib Al Hasan and dashing opener Tamim Iqbal but in the last two games it was refreshingly proven wrong after the way players like Mahmudullah Riyad, Shafiul Islam and Imrul Kayes came forward to rescue their team.
While the Tigers have made some stirring comebacks in the tournament, there are some areas where Jamie Siddons’s men must improve ahead of the big challenge against South Africa in the last group match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on March 19.
As Bangladesh vice-captain Tamim Iqbal and experienced left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak both said yesterday, the team is hardly looking at any equation rather they are charged up to qualify into the quarterfinals by winning their last Group B match against mighty South Africa. To do that, however, the Tigers’ have to show much better performances than in their last two games.
It is not as if the conditions at Mirpur are much different from Chittagong, but the opponent is also tougher because South Africa is one of the big teams in the showcase event, especially they have variety in their bowling attack, so it would be a real test for the Bangladesh batting which has yet to prove it’s best in the tournament.
“Definitely we are happy after the way we bounced back in the tournament to win the last two games but we are yet to show our best batting performance in the tournament. I think there is a lot of scope to improve our batting,” admitted Tamim while talking with this reporter yesterday.
“I am glad to see that everybody tried their best to contribute for the team and that’s why we won the last two games. It was the result of total teamwork. The last two match result reflected that everybody has been trying to improve their performance and everybody is hungry to contribute for the team. It’s nice that everybody is trying to play their part but Shakib and myself must also play our roles as per expectations,” said Tamim adding: “I’m disappointed with my performance because I failed to do something special in my home ground. I’m not happy with my batting performance because 30/40 runs doesn’t mean anything. I failed to score as per my expectation and now I’m looking forward to the next group match” The left-hander made two ducks in five innings besides, 70, 44 and 38.
Praising his partner Imrul Kayes’ batting performance in the last two games, Tamim said that it just showed that everybody has been trying to follow the coach’s team role.
“You know that the coach gave everybody a specific role in the team and its nice to see that all are trying their best to play according to that role.”
The team has been in a good shape after two victories but despite that Tamim believes that they must focus on their batting if they want to win the big matches.
“We have to mind it that the conditions suited our bowlers most in the last two games. We need to have some big partnerships up top and in Dhaka we would need a handsome total to defend if we bat first and on the other hand you have to chase a handsome total against South Africa if you bat second,” said Tamim, who was however very much upbeat about their chance against South Africa.
Razzak also echoed the sentiment.
“We would need at least 2/3 big partnerships against South Africa. I think we are playing good cricket despite a setback against West Indies but there is a lot of scope to improve our batting. Everybody is looking forward to playing against South Africa because nobody is concentrating on any equation rather they want to win the match to qualify into the quarterfinals,” said the experienced campaigner, who led the spin-battery from the front in the last two games by taking five wickets.
“The slow and low wicket in Chittagong helped us lot but it would be a different scenario in Dhaka where we must bat well,” opined Razzak.
Imrul Kayes not only showed a rare consistency but also set an example by finishing the last game on Monday and this kind of effort will be needed more from the top order batsmen.

 

Courtesy of The Daily Star

Related News

Bangladesh secures T20I series victory against Afghanistan

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has taken a strong 2-0 lead in the three-match series after pulling off an exciting two-wicket win against Afghanistan in the second T20I at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Afghanistan set a target of 147 runs, losing 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Nasum Ahmed (2-25) and Rishad Hossain (2-45) ... Read more

ICC Women’s World Cup: Tigresses starts strong

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh began their ICC Women’s World Cup in style with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Opting to bat first, Pakistan were bowled out for 129 in 38.3 overs. Bangladesh then reached 131-3 in 31.1 overs, thanks to an unbeaten knock of ... Read more

Aminul, Fahim set to be elected unopposed

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com It looks like Aminul Islam Bulbul, the current president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and vice-president Nazmul Abedeen Fahim are on track to be elected without any opposition in the upcoming board of directors’ election. This comes after the Election Commission rejected three nomination papers on Monday. On Monday, the Election ... Read more

BCB Polls: Razzak set for uncontested win

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Abdur Razzak, the former national team off-spinner and selector, is poised to be elected as a BCB director without any opposition in the upcoming elections, as reported by the Election Commission on Sunday. On Sunday, a total of 51 nomination papers were submitted, from the 60 that had been collected the ... Read more

Liton’s injury sidelines him from Afghan T20I series

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Sunday the national team for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Afghanistan, set to take place in Sharjah, UAE on October 2, 3, and 5. Jaker Ali Anik will continue to captain the team in the absence of regular skipper Liton Das, who is ... Read more

Razzak steps down as selector, joins BCB election run

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has stepped down from his role on the national selection panel after more than four years of dedicated service. He aims to contribute to the country’s cricket in a more impactful way. Razzak, who joined the selection panel in January 2021, confirmed his decision yesterday ... Read more

Batting failures keep Bangladesh out of Asia Cup final

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s hopes of making it to the Asia Cup final were dashed by a poor batting display, as they lost to Pakistan by 11 runs in their final Super Four match at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. In this virtual semi-final, Bangladesh needed to chase down a target of 136 ... Read more

Umpiring legend Dickie Bird dies aged 92

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The cricket world is mourning the news that one of the most popular and famous figures in the sport, Harold “Dickie” Bird, has passed away in his home, aged 92. Former first-class English cricketer Bird officiated his first test match in 1973, and went on to umpire 66 tests and 76 ... Read more

Bangladesh fixtures for ICC Women’s World Cup 2025

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh women’s cricket team will embark on their second-ever ICC Women’s World Cup journey as they depart for Colombo on Tuesday. After making their debut in 2022 in New Zealand, where they recorded a historic maiden victory against Pakistan, the Tigresses will be eager to build on that experience. The 2025 ... Read more

Bangladesh triumphs over Sri Lanka in Asia Cup Super Four Clash

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh opened their Super Four campaign in the Asia Cup with a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing 169, Bangladesh reached the target with one ball remaining, thanks to strong batting performances from Saif Hassan and Tawhid Hridoy. Sri Lanka, asked to bat ... Read more

Hasibul and Salma join BCB selection panel

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Saturday appointed former national team pacer Hasibul Hossain Shanto as a men’s team selector and former women’s team captain Salma Khatun as a women’s selector. With the appointment, Salma became the first woman cricketer of the country to take such a role, which was remarked as ... Read more

BCB’s move to appoint first ever female selector for national women’s team

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board is set to appoint a woman selector for the national women’s team, stated board president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Friday. Currently the national selection panel for the men’s team comprises former captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain as the chairman and Abdur Razzak as the member. Hannan Sarkar stepped ... Read more

Bulbul acknowledges Tigresses’ World Cup readiness not ideal

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam believes that the preparation of the Bangladesh national women’s cricket team for the forthcoming ICC Women’s World Cup was not up to the mark. The Nigar Sultana Joty-led team is currently in a camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur before going to the ... Read more

Mushfiq on the verge of reaching 100 Test appearances

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s talented wicketkeeper-batter, is on the verge of making history as the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach 100 Test appearances. This milestone is within reach following Cricket Ireland’s decision to take part in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting on November 10. Ireland will tour Bangladesh between November ... Read more

Tigers leave for Dubai

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh cricket team left for Dubai in the early hours of Friday for the Champions Trophy, which begins in Pakistan and the UAE from February 19. Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh team will play a warm-up match against the Mohammad Haris-led Pakistan Shaheens at the ICC Cricket Academy ground in Dubai on ... Read more

Simmons discusses Champions Trophy preparation Issues

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons acknowledged that the team’s preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy has not been ideal, but he remains hopeful that his players will quickly regain their ODI form before the tournament starts. “I agree that it is not the best preparation. However, they have been playing white-ball ... Read more

Toffee brings free live streaming of ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Cricket enthusiasts across Bangladesh can now catch every thrilling moment of the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup live, as Toffee, the nation’s leading digital entertainment platform, streams the tournament for free. The World Cup, hosted in Malaysia, kicks off today, 18 January 2025, and runs until 2 February. Fans can ... Read more

BCB to launch BPL for women

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board is set to organize a women’s Bangladesh Premier League immediately following the conclusion of the current men’s edition, as confirmed by board director and BPL member secretary Nazmul Abedin Fahim. Speaking to reporters in Chattogram on Friday, Fahim revealed that the tournament will feature three teams in ... Read more

Tigresses clinch their biggest ever win in WODIs

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh women’s team recorded their biggest win by runs in the one-day format when they outplayed Ireland by 154 runs in the first WODI of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. Batting first, Bangladesh posted 252-4, their highest-ever total in ODIs, where Sharmin scored ... Read more

Taskin shines but the Tigers defeated

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bowlers, led by pacer Taskin Ahmed, gave Bangladesh an unlikely chance in the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, but the batters were blown away by the West Indies as the Tigers suffered yet another huge defeat on Tuesday. Bangladesh were skittled for 132 runs by the ... Read more