Published: Mar 20, 2014, 08:20 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2014, 08:38 AM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Mar 19, 2014
Bangladesh are almost certain of a place in the main draw of the ICC World T20 2014. However, they wouldn’t leave anything to chance when they face Hong Kong in their last qualifying match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong. Bangladesh gave Afghanistan and Nepal no chance to breathe when they faced them and one can expect the same when they face Hong Kong, the only side that has lost all their games in this group. This shouldn’t test Bangladesh too much as they are way above Hong Kong, in terms of quality.
Bangladesh have depended on their spin department to do the job for them. Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak have been in good touch and have spun a web around the opposition. Shakib has been very miserly and is their key all-round player. There is no doubt that Bangladesh turn to him in crucial encounters and in situations that demand his expertise.
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The Bangladesh batting has been bolstered by the presence of Tamim Iqbal, who can go hammer and tongs at the top. Anamul Haque is someone who can mix caution and aggression. Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah form a good middle order. Mashrafe Mortaza and Al Amin Hossain are the main fast-bowlers for Bangladesh. Farhad Reza is also a good addition as he can contribute with both bat and ball.
Hong Kong are out of the competition and can only hope to cause an upset. They haven’t found their mark in the competition so far, although they did manage to put up a decent score against Afghanistan. Waqas Barkat, Jamie Atkinson and Mark Chapman are some of their crucial batsmen. It is Irfan Ahmed who hasn’t performed in this tournament. He is actually one of their key players as he is a destructive batsman and a useful bowler. Hong Kong have sent him at the top and they would hope he turns up and performs well for them.
Perhaps, this game could also be a stage for the Hong Kong team to allow some of their reserves to play. But given the fact that they want to sign off on a high, they would field their best possible combination.
ICC World T20 2014 schedule: Match time table with venue details
Squads:
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mominul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Sohad Gazi, Mahmudullah Riad, Moashrafe Mortaza, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza.
Hong Kong: Jamie Atkinson (c & wk), Irfan Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Mark Chapman, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Munir Dar, Tanwir Afzal, Haseeb Amjad, Aizaz Khan, Nadeem Ahmed, Roy Lamsam, Ehsan Nawaz, Najeeb Amar, Kinchit Shah, Ehsan Nawaz.
Time: 19:00 IST | 14:30 GMT
ICC World T20 2014 Points Table and Team Standings
ICC World T20 2014 Schedule details
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)
