Bangladesh: On the precipice of World Cup failure?
Before the Bangladeshi team travelled to India, when asked about the goal at this year's World Cup, most people around the national cricket team were saying that, naturally, the goal was to reach the semifinals. It's a two-stage tournament, with a league round and then knockouts. Of course, the goal had to be to get to the next stage. Shakib Al Hasan said in an interview that he would be approaching every match with the goal to win it. The coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, said that if people were dreaming of seeing Bangladesh lift the World Cup, they needed to "wake up." Four matches into the tournament, waking up seems to be the right thing to do, as this World Cup is starting to turn into a bad dream.
It's far from over, of course. Things haven't reached the realm of nightmares yet. But with one win, against Afghanistan, and humbling losses against England, New Zealand, and India, Bangladesh is now uncomfortably close to must-win territory. The tough assignment of facing a belligerent South Africa at the famous Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is up next, in a matter of hours. The question is: would it be fair to call this World Cup a failure, if this match also ends in defeat?
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. If Bangladesh does lose, four losses out of five in a nine-match league all but guarantees elimination before the knockouts. But thankfully for Bangladesh, the equation is not that straightforward. Early on in the tournament, India, New Zealand, and South Africa have elevated themselves as the frontrunners, with all the other teams sprinting after the fourth spot. Bangladesh's last four games will be against the Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia. The ones against the Dutch and the Sri Lankans are two games Bangladesh would have targeted before the tournament as being winnable. Pakistan and Australia, on the other hand, are most likely to be the teams competing for that coveted fourth semi-final spot, and if Bangladesh wants to be in that fight, they need to win these games.
Coming back to the match against South Africa, it's far from a foregone conclusion. The Proteas have lost to Bangladesh twice in previous World Cups, in 2007 and 2019, and they did lose to the Netherlands early on in this tournament as well. The nature of that loss showed that, under pressure, with accurate spinners tightening the noose, it is possible to make this strong South African team falter. But Bangladeshi bowlers need to be at their absolute peak in order to contain the likes of de Kock and Klaasen. More importantly, however, Bangladeshi batters need to find their form and find it fast. Against New Zealand and India, one or two of the batters stood up. But to win games in this World Cup, centuries need to be made and that too in haste. Pinching a win against South Africa would give the team an achievable goal heading into the latter part of the tournament, and Bangladesh desperately needs some direction.
This fifth game of the World Cup for Bangladesh against South Africa is going to be a turning point, after which good things can start happening for the team. It can also be the beginning of the end, as the team which is clearly low in confidence could slide ever further.
At this middle point of the tournament, it's bound to be a difficult game, but these are the games that need to be won if Bangladeshi cricketers want to back up the claim that this team is a force to be reckoned with at the highest level.
Bangladesh has been consistent in winning three games at every World Cup since 2007, but that has never really translated into any meaningful success. As a fan, I am forced to agree when I hear renowned ex-cricketers and commentators say that it's time for Bangladesh to do something that makes everyone take notice. While it's fun to watch Kohli win game after game for India, and see New Zealand be the fan-favourite team that everyone secretly wishes would win, the heart does yearn for Bangladesh to do something positive. If not now, when?
Azmin Azran is the editor of Campus and Rising Stars at The Daily Star.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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