Two areas of concern for Tigers ahead of WC squad announcement

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is set to announce the World Cup squad today, just a day prior to the team scheduled to leave for Guwahati, India to kick off their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign. 

Apparently, the Bangladesh team management’s delay in announcing the Tigers’ World Cup squad is due to their concerns regarding two issues.  

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha arrived in the country yesterday and had a meeting with skipper Shakib Al Hasan and board president Nazmul Hassan Papon at midnight at the latter’s residence. 

With the meeting being held just a day before the BCB is expected to announce the World Cup squad, it can be assumed that the discussion was regarding the mega event. 

It was learned that one of the two issues that had the team management thinking was the injury concern of seasoned campaigner Tamim Iqbal. Tamim himself talked about being uncomfortable and not fully fit when he faced the media following the Tigers’ second ODI against New Zealand, in which the stalwart scored a solid 44-run knock. It was the first time the left-handed opener had batted in a game for Bangladesh since giving up ODI captaincy in August. 

In order to deal with his back issue, Tamim was rested from the third ODI against New Zealand today.

The nature of Tamim’s recurring back injury is such that it can resurface or the pain can intensify at any moment. With the Bangladesh skipper and the head coach apparently wanting a fully fit squad for the World Cup, Tamim’s injury has been a real cause of concern for the team management. 

The other headache for the team management is regarding another stalwart of the country’s cricket — Mahmudullah Riyad. Riyad has returned to the national fold following more than a five-month gap through the ongoing New Zealand series. He played a 49-run knock in the second game, which Bangladesh lost by 86 runs after the first ODI was washed out. 

Bangladesh will need to make a crucial call in order to accommodate Riyad into the World Cup squad. With Tamim’s injury a major concern, chances are that backup opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim is likely to get a nod. 

Riyad could be included in the final World Cup 15 if Bangladesh opt to go to the tournament with just four pacers — Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, and Mustafizur Rahman — by excluding inexperienced Tanzim Hasan Sakib despite his promising performances in the recent games. Given the World Cup is a lengthy tournament, this option could be risky for the Tigers, especially since pacers remain more injury prone. 

Riyad could also be accommodated into the squad in place of all-rounder Mahedi Hasan, but the latter has done decently in the Asia Cup and also in the New Zealand series. 

However, as things stand, the Bangladesh team management apparently has tough calls to make and would probably need to make up their minds soon, given they are running out of time for the ICC-mandated cut-off time for final World Cup squad submission which is on September 28.