Tigers receive ICC plaudits

The impressive performances from the Tigers recently have earned them praise from the game's governing body, revealed BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, while adding that the BCB was hopeful of the positive impact it would have on Bangladesh's cricket.

"They [ICC] are really happy. The ICC has congratulated us and you will see a future effect as well. We are also discussing with some member countries regarding other levels of cricket," said Chowdhury, who returned home yesterday after attending the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) annual conference in Barbados.

Since the last World Cup, the Bangladesh team under the leadership of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has been playing a good brand of cricket in the ODI format and their success against Pakistan and India took them to new heights.

The 2-1 series win against India had confirmed Bangladesh's qualification for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England, but a proposed tri-series involving Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe put their berth at risk. But Chowdhury found no reason to be scared of the Tigers' qualification prospects.

"I think that according to the current scenario, the chances for any other team to climb up [the rankings] are very slim. Because we are ranked seven, we are hopeful of playing the trophy unless something big happens. Pakistan and West Indies are ranked below us at the moment so matches between those sides will have an effect on our ranking, but as the difference between ranks 7 and 8 is around five points, we think that their chances are very slim," explained Chowdhury.