Bangladesh have finally turned into a force in Twenty20 cricket after years of struggle in the format, observed chief selector Faruk Ahmed on Thursday. A good showdown in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament that took them through to the final was all that was necessary for the Tigers to get back the much required self-belief. Twenty20 never looked to have suited Bangladesh until their recent performance that left them with three successive victories against UAE, Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.
It was only the second time Tigers managed three wins in a row as they produced similar kind of consistency only against Ireland in 2012. Until this Asia Cup Bangladesh never defeated two different teams in back-to-back Twenty20 international matches.
Tigers were desperately looking to launch them in the shortest format through the Asia Cup as it would be ideal for them ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 where they have to play in the qualification round.
Chief selector Faruk said reaching the final in a tournament comprising three former world champions is surely an indication of their growth in the shortest format.
‘I think we are playing aggressive cricket at the moment to reach our goal,’ Faruk told New Age on Thursday.
‘It is very important because it gives your opponents an indication of the mind-set that you are carrying before taking them on in the field,’ said Faruk.
‘We believe that we can win against any opponents.
‘At least we are ready to challenge any team as we have the resources in our team,’ he said.
Faruk said the recent change came as they have got some really good fast bowlers who are capable of troubling any batsman in the world. It also added some varieties in their bowling attack.
‘We were too predictable earlier as far as our bowling attack was concerned as it was led by our spinners,’ said Faruk.
‘However, nowadays we are coming with four pace bowlers, who are all complimenting each other well.
‘That also helps our skipper an added options as far spin bowling is concerned because if someone is having a bad day there is always someone to fill that position with his slow bowling,’ he said.
Faruk added that batsmen are also able to cope with Twenty20 culture though he admitted that at the initial stage of the game he had doubts as Bangladesh lacked a batsman with calibre of Chris Gayle or Kieron Pollard.
‘Mahmudullah is doing a fantastic job at lower order that has turned out to be one of the most crucial places to bat in Twenty20,’ said Faruk.
‘We have a solid opening pair with Tamim and Soumya as both of them can be devastating on their day,’
‘Sabbir Rahman has already exhibited his potential while we are well aware about the ability of Mushfiq [Rahim] and Sakib [al Hasan],’ he added.
According to Faruk the structural change in the team combination and the culture within the team that produces an aggresive manner of approach are helping the team to generate their due result in Twenty20 format.
‘Not many teams have several bowlers who can bowl at 145mph while you don’t need to tell about the ability of Mustafiz,’ said Faruk.
-With New Age input
