Sports Desk: Dhaka,
Aug-27,
Bangladesh will take on Scotland on the opening day of the T20 World Cup, beginning October 17 in Oman's capital Muscat, according to the schedule released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.
The opening match of
the event, however, will be played between the co-hosts of the event Oman and
Papua New Guinea at the same venue.
Bangladesh will have to
play Round 1 in Group B along with Scotland, Papua New Guinea and Oman. In the
same round, Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia will compete in
Group A. Two teams from each group will advance to the Super 12s.
The Tigers will take on
Oman and Papua New Guinea on October 19 and 21, respectively, in their second
and third matches of Round 1.
If Bangladesh can
finish Round 1 matches at the top of Group B, they will advance to Group 2 of
Super 12s, where they will join India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and
runners-up of Group A in Round 1.
If Bangladesh finishes
as runners-up of Group B in Round 1, they will join England, Australia, South
Africa, West Indies and toppers of Group A in Round 1.
“It’s a very important
tournament for all teams and especially for our team. We are playing a few
series before the T20 World Cup and if we can do well, get a bit of confidence,
try to win those series before the World Cup starts, it will be a big boost for
our team,” Bangladesh T20 captain Mahmudullah said.
“Our strength has been
our all-rounders and our bowling department. Having said that, our batting is
also very good and we have a good balance. We have five or six all-rounders,
who can bat and bowl. Our fast bowlers are doing an incredible job at the
moment. Our spinners are our strength as well. If they can put up their hand in
a few matches, hopefully, we will have some good results,” Mahmudullah added.
Mahmudullah also said
that Shakib Al Hasan has always been the number one player of the Bangladesh
team, and Mushfqiur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman are also valuable enough.
Mahmudullah hopes that Nurul Hasan Sohan, Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain also
have the ability to do well, and all of them are keen to prove their mettle.
Bangladesh are
currently waiting for a five-match T20 series against New Zealand starting from
September 1. The Blackcaps are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh by August 24.
Before this series,
Bangladesh took on Australia and won the five-match T20I series 4-1. It was
Bangladesh’s first series win over Australia in any format of international
cricket.
End/Dct/Ali/Sma/
