Bangladesh will face West Indies in their next round match of the 2019 World Cup at the Somerset County ground at Taunton today.
Both the teams have three points in their tally as they both have won one among three matches and have had to share points for a wash out each. But the Windies are ahead in the points table with better net run rate.
Bangladesh made a good start to the tournament as they performed impressively in their first two matches – a win against South Africa and a narrow defeat against New Zealand. But hosts England were too strong for the Tigers in the third match as Bangladesh were defeated comprehensively.
Bangladesh spinners have had success in the recent past against Holder and co. and the West Indies camp know they have to deal with the spin threat yet again against Bangladesh.https://t.co/5quwvv8G3Q#WIvBan #CricketWorldCup2019 #JasonHolder
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) June 16, 2019
A wash out in the fourth match is being considered as a potential point loss for Bangladesh as they were expecting a win according to their recent performance against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh need to win against West Indies tomorrow to make their road to a semifinal berth much smoother. Bangladesh need to win at least three matches in their remaining five matches against the likes of West Indies, Australia, Afghanistan and Pakistan to keep their semifinal
The Bangladesh team took part in an intense training session on Sunday ahead of the crucial game. Mushfiqur Rahim was injured due to a blow to his right hand while batting on Saturday but the good news is he was seem at the practice session and looked fit.
The West Indies camp are also sweating on Andre Russell’s fitness as he limped off in their last match after bowling only two overs. Russell is suffering from knee injuries for a long time and West Indies skipper Jason Holder informed they will wait for the all-rounder’s availability for the Bangladesh game until the final hour.
Mashrafe bin Mortaza confirmed yesterday that Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim’s injured finger is in good condition and he is getting fitter ahead of their next World Cup.https://t.co/AzKRnvHj3A#MashrafebinMortaza #MushfiqurRahim #CricketWorldCup2019 #WIvBan
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) June 16, 2019
Bangladesh have won seven among nine matches against West Indies in the last couple of years but it will be a different challenge for the Tigers as it is the World Cup and the Windies side are always dangerous in shorter formats.
West Indies have big hitters in the shape of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Evin Lewis among others. But Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe has informed that the team is focusing on their own game-plan rather than worrying too much about small boundaries or West Indies’ big hitters.
“Both teams have the same number of points. But I think it's time to think about ourselves only. If you understand this tournament, obviously a few matches left but tomorrow's (today’s match) a very important match for us. So hopefully we'll play well tomorrow,” said Mashrafe during the pre-match press conference on Sunday.
There is some grass on the pitch where the match will take place. West Indies pacers have performed well in the tournament so far with quite a few short balls in every match. But Tigers’ opener Tamim Iqbal said on Saturday that Bangladesh are ready to face the bouncers from their Windies counterparts.
The weather could be a concern since so many matches have been interrupted or washed out in this World Cup already. The weather forecasts predict cloudy conditions on Monday with limited chances of rain.
When #Bangladesh meet #WestIndies in the World Cup https://t.co/pRtBMhE8I3
— DhakaTribune (@DhakaTribune) June 16, 2019
But the weather in Taunton proved to be unpredictable with some rain in the last couple of days and even during Bangladesh team’s training at the Somerset County ground.
Bangladesh may opt for an extra pacer depending on conditions. In that case, Rubel Hossain could possibly the extra pacer for the Tigers but the Bangladesh think-tank is also considering that West Indies have struggled against Bangladeshi spinners in the last few matches. The decision whether Bangladesh will go with an extra pacer and drop an all-rounder or not, will be made in the final hour.
