ICC Champions Trophy 2017, India vs Bangladesh: BAN’s strengths and weaknesses
Bangladesh face a mammoth task in their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against India at Edgbaston on Thursday. The Mashrafe Mortaza-led side will take on a side brimming with confidence after a comfortable win over South Africa.
Having beaten New Zealand in their previous game, Bangladesh themselves, however, will be high on morale. As they prepare to take on the defending champions, here is a look at their strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths
Tamim Iqbal: The left-handed batsman is in fiery form and has already struck a century in the Champions Trophy while missing out on another by just five runs. Against Australia, where his entire side was bundled out for a paltry 182, Iqbal had accounted for more than 50 per cent of those runs with a heroic 95.
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Batting: Scoring over 300 runs against a terrific English bowling line-up in their home conditions was not an easy task, but The Tigers ensured that they introduce themselves in the tournament as a force to reckon with. They were outdone by the mighty Aussies though, getting bundled up for just 182, but chased down a challenging 266-run target against the Kiwis after struggling at 33 for the loss of four wickets at one point.
Team morale: Having beaten New Zealand in an emphatic manner, thanks to the resilient knocks from Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, the Bangladesh dressing room is bound to be in a terrific mood. Against India too, the team is expected to come out in a free spirit, well aware of the fact that the pressure is bound to be on their opponents.
Weaknesses
Opening partnership: Although Tamim Iqbal helped Bangladesh post formidable totals in the first two games, his side would rue the fact that their opening formation hasn’t clicked as yet. Along with Soumya Sarkar, the duo have just one fifty-run partnership (against England) in the tournament so far, while losing their first wicket for 22 and 0 against Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
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Batting capitulation: Had it not been for the heroics of Shakib Al Hasan (114) and Mahmudullah (102), Bangladesh were all set for a repeat of what happened with them against Australia. The top order was back in the pavilion with just 33 runs on the board before the duo stitched a 224-run partnership to bail their side out of the dismal situation. Against Australia, all but three batsmen had managed to get their scores to double-digit figures while losing their last six wickets for just 41 runs.
Mortaza’s form: The skipper’s form with the ball has been extremely average with just one wicket to show for in the three matches. Giving away runs at an economy rate of 5.24 has done nothing to help his side and Bangladesh will hope that he gets back to form against an Indian batting line-up that can bat deep down till the tail-end.
