U19CWC Report Card: Bangladesh
Results summary:
Group stageBeat Namibia by 87 runs
Beat Canada by 66 runs
Lost to England by 7 wickets
Super League quarter-final
Lost to India by 131 runs
5th place play-off semi-final
Beat England by 5 wickets
5th place play-off
Lost to South Africa by 8 wickets
Positives to take home?
Bangladesh have only bettered their 2018 performance when they hosted 2016’s tournament and enjoyed a third-place finish. In that respect they can be pleased, with losses to India and South Africa no disgrace. A clinical victory against England (to whom they had lost in the group stage) in the fifth-place play-off was the undoubted highlight.
Qazi Onik's 3/48 against India
It was predominantly a three-pronged attack on which Bangladesh relied with the ball, consisting of the opening seam pair of Qazi Onik (10 wickets) and Hasan Mahmud (9), supported by off-spinner Afif Hossain (8), who took 5/43 against Canada. Onik took wickets in every match, in a side whose fielding didn’t always hold up under pressure.
The batting line-up flickered intermittently, with middle-order batsman Afif Hossain the rock. He scored 102 more runs than any other batsman, racking up 276 at an average of 46, including four half-centuries. Tawhid Hridoy scored the side’s only ton – 122 against Canada in the group stage – but then didn’t register anything else above 12, while skipper Saif Hassan didn’t kick on from his opening knock of 84.
Areas for improvement?
Consistency is a key factor if this side is to succeed, particularly in a tournament format. The opening bowlers were reliable, but wickets after their spells had come to an end were hard to come by. Likewise, at the crease there were no consistent run-scorers, bar the brilliant Hossain.
Afif Hossain's 3/18 against England at U19CWC
Against the more established Test-playing countries, Bangladesh came unstuck, apart from in their memorable five-wicket win over England. With a bit more strength in depth, they may have been able to match their feats of two years ago.
Rising star?
Afif Hossain. With four 50s, including a vital 71 against England, he showed the capability to perform when the going got tough. His spin bowling blew hot and cold, but no one else managed to tear through the opposition like he did with his five-wicket-haul against Canada, while his 3/15 against England hurried them to a below par score.