Bangladesh’s Recent Form and Campaign
Bangladesh will play India in Dubai on February 20 to begin their Champions Trophy campaign. They will then play New Zealand on February 24 and Pakistan in Rawalpindi on February 27. But there are issues with their recent bilateral shape. The team has only triumphed once in their past four series, defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 at home but losing to New Zealand (1-2), Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (1-2), and the West Indies (0-3). In their last 12 ODIs, they have only earned four victories overall.
Strengths to Rely On
Bangladesh has a couple advantages going into the competition, even without Shakib. With players like Soumya Sarkar, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahmudullah, and Mushfiqur Rahim in form, the batting lineup appears to be strong. Mehidy’s spin-bowling all-around skills also give him a “X-factor.” The opposing batters are threatened by the pace assault, which consists of Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam.
Obstacles and Problem Areas
Shakib has been a vital match-winner for Bangladesh for years, thus his absence is their biggest problem. Furthermore, except from their progress to the semifinals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, their past failures in ICC competitions continue to be a psychological obstacle. Due to a string of losses prior to CT2025, the team also lacked winning momentum. With six defeats in eight games when batting first, their incapacity to protect totals is still another significant problem. They have won three of their previous five games, though, and have a marginally better record while chasing.
Important Players to Keep an Eye on
A number of players have distinguished themselves since the 2023 World Cup. With 430 runs in 11 innings, Soumya Sarkar has been Bangladesh’s top scorer. Shanto (358 in 8 innings) and Mehidy (352 in 10 innings) are next in line. Mahmudullah, who has averaged 48.14 in nine innings, has also been playing well. Taskin Ahmed leads the bowling department with 14 wickets in seven games, followed by Mustafizur Rahman (11 wickets in six games) and Shoriful Islam (13 wickets in 10 games).
CT2025 Squad
Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Nahid Rana are all part of Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy team.
Bangladesh has a chance to demonstrate their abilities on the grand stage thanks to a combination of youthful ability and experience. If they want to make history at CT2025, they will have to overcome their shortcomings and figure out how to perform well under duress.
