Bangladesh WC 2015 Watch

[CrimsonAvenger]

I think the Bangla team has a very well picked 15. I even like Mahmudullah from the time he came into the team. He is like a poor man's Thilan Samaraweera. And Nasir Hossain is back, and looks like a long term investment on Sowmya Sarkar has been made, fittingly. One of the most straightforward and well planned selections of the WC squad this time has been of BD. They must beat AFG and SCO, and their big chance, I believe, comes and goes with ENG. SL would be fired up to give a fitting tribute to their best player ever, Sangakkara, and Mathews is a genius of a player who has tasted success in Aus in the past. So, SL would be a tough one. Beat ENG, keep your NRR decent and it should be possible.

[Kriterion_BD]

Shakib has just taken 4-13 against the Heat in the BBL. Spin cannot totally be counted out just because the WC is played on Aussie pitches. Shakib has bowled very well overall so far with 7 wickets in 3 games.

[SpitfiresKent]

Shakib has just taken 4-13 against the Heat in the BBL. Spin cannot totally be counted out just because the WC is played on Aussie pitches. Shakib has bowled very well overall so far with 7 wickets in 3 games.

Yes and fair play to Shakib.

But expect the pitches at the WC to be absolute roads with hardly any support for the bowlers. Your average Joe spectator wants to see 4's and 6's...not dot balls and below 70 strike rates.

[jaybro]

there is no chance in hell BD will have the 5th best seam attack

[Kriterion_BD]

there is no chance in hell BD will have the 5th best seam attack

My bad, I meant 10th worst seam attack at the WC. My mistake.

[Kriterion_BD]

Good article on our new seam attack: http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket ... 21721.html

This is without doubt the best seam attack we've ever produced. In ODIs, they will be a handful if they play near their full potential.

World Cup 2015 January 17, 2015 Demand rises for Bangladesh

Fast bowling, Bangladesh's most vulnerable and underutilized stock, is going to be in high demand and full display at the World Cup. The four quicks picked in the 15-man squad bring their own variety to the mix and have been effective in ODIs, while also facing their own challenges.

Fast bowlers are more likely to suffer injuries and are more vulnerable as a result, and in Bangladesh that probability has been high. Mashrafe Mortaza has missed more matches than he has played in his 13-year career while others like Abul Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain are just some of many who have had long-term injuries.

For a country that has played international cricket for less than 30 years, it is a lot of injuries to a group that already has limited membership, partly due to the nature of wickets in the country. But come February, the four Bangladesh quick bowlers would be asked to bowl more than they are used to, in different situations and against wide-ranging opponents.

The current group is led by the captain, Mashrafe, now about to play his third World Cup. He is the most experienced fast bowler in Bangladesh's history, and has found a new lease of life after continued struggle with injuries for the past decade. Rubel is the second-most experienced quick bowler in the side, and he offers stability along with the threat of sudden pace and late swing.

Al-Amin Hossain and Taskin are the two newer members of the club. Both made their ODI debuts in 2014, and have impressed in different ways. Taskin is, at the moment, the most exciting bowler in the country. He is the only one who can be classified as a proper "fast" bowler, but understands that only bowling quick has its perils.

He shot to the limelight with a five-wicket haul on debut against India last June and now in his first major campaign for Bangladesh, wants to be among the top wicket-takers.

"If I get the opportunity I will give my best shot and try to become a subject of discussion," Taskin said. "I want people to say that this fast bowler from Bangladesh is impressive. I am of good health. Actually the Dhaka Premier League was my test, whether I will be able to stay fit after playing all the matches.

"I will have to bowl fast but pace only is not enough these days. I have to bowl good line and length and use variation. I have a bit of experience of playing in Australia in the Under-19 World Cup in 2012. From what I have seen, those are true wickets. When we play on a good wicket, I can naturally bring the delivery into the batsman. I am also working on my outswinger. Getting wickets is a matter of luck as well. I will try to get among the top ten wicket-takers and bowl at high pace."

Al-Amin Hossain:
Al-Amin Hossain: "I have been bowling well in the last 12 months so maybe there is some expectation from me." © AFP
Al-Amin's first year in international cricket started off steadily; then as soon as he found some wickets, he was reported for a suspect bowling action. He cleared the test, but was left dazed by the experience.

"I have been bowling well in the last 12 months so maybe there is some expectation from me," Al-Amin said. "I played poorly in one game against Zimbabwe. I don't listen to criticism, and I would like to prove it in the World Cup.

"I was injured, I had my fourth-year final exam and the action; it was a combination of three to four things. Plus I think my fitness wasn't up to the level I had wanted so maybe that's why the performance wasn't at that level too."

Al-Amin, despite his up-and-down year, has quickly absorbed the lessons of Shane Jurgensen, Bangladesh's head coach before Chandika Hathurusingha, and uses modern variations like the slower bouncer, wide yorker and several other slower deliveries.

"My strength is the outswinger that I bowl after a number of inswingers," Al-Amin said. "Pace is not much of a factor in Australia, I feel. I want to bowl stump-to-stump at my pace which is around 130kph. I am working hard on swinging and cutting the ball.

"Bowling the leg-cutter is also a strength. I bowl it in the slog overs or the Powerplay. I am working more on the wide yorker and slower bouncer, more than the leg-cutter which comes naturally to me."

Al-Amin said he wants to take "12 to 15" wickets in the first round, a target he feels is much more within his grasp than becoming one of the top ten as Taskin, sitting next to him, said. In an instance one realises what one year of international cricket, part of which was spent giving university exams, going through bowling action tests and injuries, can do to a bowler.

"His [Taskin's] target is to be in the top ten. I personally think that we can only make the top ten if we can reach the tournament final," Al-Amin said. "So my target is to take 12-15 wickets in the first six games.

"Taking wickets in international cricket is a matter of confidence. If I can take a few early, the confidence starts to grow. I plan to repeat the good games I have had in the first year of my international career. I am bowling a lot, watching videos and talking to the coaches to make that happen in the World Cup."

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[jaybro]

there is no chance in hell BD will have the 5th best seam attack

My bad, I meant 10th worst seam attack at the WC. My mistake.

You're still Mistaken my friend

[Kriterion_BD]

there is no chance in hell BD will have the 5th best seam attack

My bad, I meant 10th worst seam attack at the WC. My mistake.

You're still Mistaken my friend

Not quite, if you read my post carefully, I said if they play to their full potential we can be the 5th best seam attack at the WC. I mean 10th worst.

[jaybro]

I really don't rate any of the BD seamers apart Mashrafe on his day can be world class ....

So you're saying at their full potential they could be fifth best ? Well if they're been ing measured at their full potential then the other teams must be as well ! So I can't see them being the fifth best attack ....

[Kriterion_BD]

I really don't rate any of the BD seamers apart Mashrafe on his day can be world class ....

So you're saying at their full potential they could be fifth best ? Well if they're been ing measured at their full potential then the other teams must be as well ! So I can't see them being the fifth best attack ....

Yeah, Mash is world class as long as he doesn't bowl at the death. Bowling at the death requires one of two things, ideally both. You need to master the Yorker and the slower delivery. A well disguised slow one even on a length can pick wickets or result in a dot ball/single which are golden in the last 2-3 overs, especially if its a recognized batsman at the crease. The Yorker everyone knows is hard to hit. Mash can't really bowl either one and I hope he has learned after all these years to stay away from the final 10 overs. Remember that BRMT 6 to win with 17 required off the final over?

Rubel also can't bowl at the death, but he's decent up front. Not as consistent as Mash, but has been our leading seamer in ODIs the past 4-5 years whenever Mash was out injured, which is often.

Al Amin has, in the few games he's played, bowled well at the death with his changes of pace. Of course the WC will be his big test when he's bowling to the likes of Anderson, Maxwell, Perera in the final few overs.

Taskin is also largely untested. However, just watching his action and demeanor any idiot can tell that the boy can play. Will he cop some hits? Of course, he's only a teenager after all, but his potential is sky high. We haven't seen a quick bowling talent like him since Mash, and he's even more talented IMO.

But I'll stand by my bold statement...if they play to potential, and that by definition implies compared to everyone else also playing to their potential, the BD seamers as a whole can be a top 5 seam attack in the WC. Don't mistake their Test ineptitude with limited overs. Rubel is the worst Test bowler in history, yet he's quite decent in ODIs. Apples and oranges the two formats.