CT 2017, Semi Final 2, BAN vs IND: Bangladesh Predicted XI

Who would have thought three years back that Bangladesh would take on a giant of International cricket to contest for a major ICC event? For the neutral follower of the sport, the story of Bangladesh is one of the greatest underdog sagas to tell. Due to their giant strides in World Cricket accompanied by constant support from a cricket-frenzied nation, Bangladesh is where they are today.

Bangladesh shocked one and all in the World Cup of 2015 by entering into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. To prove that their escapade in Australia wasn’t a fluke, they reached the semi-finals of the tournament thanks to the historic partnership between two seniormost statesmen for the Asian side.

They meet their old foes India after overhauling top-ranked sides such as Australia and New Zealand. The wounds are still fresh from Melbourne and Bengaluru. Would Edgbaston be able to heal the wounds or India would have a shot at defending their title on Sunday? Let us look at the predicted XI of the side.

Openers (Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar)

Even though Tamim Iqbal got dismissed in the very second ball of the innings but one has a feeling that he has done his part in the trophy, but would want to take the additional responsibility in the high-pressure situation of the semi-finals, in front of a packed house at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Soumya Sarkar’s spot in the lineup has caused a bit of stress for the men in green. He has failed to create an impact in the tournament in the three outings he had. But one cannot deny the vast potential the young man has and it would be the ideal situation for him to step up at the big stage.

Middle Order (Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahim, Mahmudullah)

As expected and advised before the match against New Zealand, Sabbir Rahman is back to the spot where he has looked comfortable the most. The number three spot is made for him as he played a couple of glorious shots against the Kiwis to prove why people are advocating his number three slot in the lineup.

Rahim and Rahman both missed out against the Kiwis but it would be a cardinal sin to underestimate the impact the two batsmen can make against India. Let us hope Rahman would keep his foot grounded with MSD behind the stumps and Rahim would be able to finish the match this time before the celebration begins.

Mahmudullah‘s promotion up the order, along with that of Rahman, was expected ahead of the match and reaped rich rewards, as Mahmudullah scored yet another hundred at an ICC event to prove his class at the world’s stage. He will hope that Bangladesh would be in a better position this time against India so that he could finish the game.

All Rounder (Shakib Al Hasan, Mossadek Hossain)

Shakib and Mahmudullah were in a partnership which would be registered in the folklore of Bangladesh Cricket for many ages to come. Harsha Bhogle already rated the partnership and the win against the Black Caps as the best of all time, which include wins versus Australia in 2005 and knockout punch to England in ICC World Cup 2015. India would be wary of the threat of Al Hasan as he can be one with the ball as well as the bat.

Mossadek Hossain had a field day coming into bowl at the death, he claimed three wickets in his three overs and conceded only 13 runs, sending their hitters back to the pavilion. Picking the wickets of their designated hitter such as Anderson, Neesham and Broom is a game-changing effort. He also chipped with an unbeaten cameo, finishing the job for his side. Shakib bats at 5 and Hossain holds the number seven position.

Bowlers (Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hussain, Mustafizur Rahman)

The Bangladeshis are going in with a four-pronged pace attack featuring Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hussain, and Mustafizur Rahman. Mustafizur, Shakib and Rubel are expected to complete their quota of overs. Bringing in Hossain at the death proved to be a masterstroke, and we might see the left armer yet again at the death.

Mashrafe Mortaza completed his quota of 10 overs and remained economical throughout, conceding only 45 runs in his spell. Taskin Ahmed impressed yet again with his pace and claimed a couple of important wickets up front. The good thing about their pace battery is that all have either chipped in wickets or remaining economical.