Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz understands Bangladesh need to do well in ODIs going forward to be able to qualify automatically for the World Cup next year. The Bangla Tigers have made a good start, keeping that in mind. On Sunday, they beat Pakistan in the third ODI to take the series 2-1 to bolster their chances.
Bangladesh went into the series as the 10th-ranked team in the world, and not many gave them a chance to beat the fourth-ranked Pakistan, but the home team took advantage of their conditions to condemn the visitors to a series loss. Of course, they also played well.
As things stand, the top 8 teams automatically qualify for the World Cup. The deadline is March 31 next year. The fact that Zimbabwe, at present No.11, are the co-hosts, along with South Africa, has made things trickier for Bangladesh to that end. Zimbabwe will play in the tournament anyway on the basis of their hosting privilege.
Hasan Miraz said that’s why they didn’t rotate their fast bowlers because considering their position in the ranking at present, he didn’t want to take any chances.
“We went into the match with our best bowling options. Mustafiz, Taskin and Rana have been bowling really well. Taskin gave us turning points in the match with his wickets. Otherwise, we would have lost the match. We had planned to give players full opportunities, as we believe it gives us a better chance to win matches.
“We have to keep our ranking points in mind. It is most important for us in the coming days. It will help us in automatic qualification for the World Cup in 2027. We are focused on winning matches and winning series.”
Bangladeshi pacers deliver!
Nahid Rana, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman featured in all three games and played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s win. They all combined for 19 wickets, with Player-of-the-Series Rana taking a fifer in the opening game which Bangladesh comfortably won. Then in the last game, Taskin Ahmed took wickets at crucial times to push the visitors into the abyss of defeat.
“Taskin is among our most experienced cricketers. He is a really hard-working cricketer who uses his experience. Taskin knows what to bowl in each situation. He knows how to motivate himself. Mustafiz never panicked despite getting hit for two sixes. He kept coming back. I think we have to give value to such experienced cricketers.
“I think Nahid Rana bowled very well, especially if you consider that he was making a comeback into the side,” Hasan Miraz said.
Bangladesh should overtake 9th-placed West Indies in the ranking when the ICC releases it later this week.
