The five 5-star

Following a huge fuss on who will be in the squad or who will not, Bangladesh authorities finally on 16 April announced the 15-member World Cup squad with a rookie card on the table.

Bangladesh picked their most-capable combination ever with four pace arsenal—Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahim and Abu Jayed Chowdhury – for the World Cup in England and Wales.

The players are very different in action, in attitude and in person, but they all have one thing in common. They all have a five-star badge on their shoulders. Every one of them has clinched five wickets at least once in an innings in their ODI cricket career.

Bolstered Tigers set out on their one-day international World Cup journey with good memories, a maiden multinational trophy in the showcase a few days back. For the first time, unbeaten Tigers clinched the trophy in a Tri-Nation Series in Ireland held this month (May), days ahead of the world’s second most eye-catching sports tournament, slated for 30 May 2019.

It has been customary that when Bangladesh bowlers, especially Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, play, it leaves a rare chance for opposition in that match. Any magical spell of any of the pacemen can give Bangladesh a comfortable victory. In the previous World Cup, in which Bangladesh reached quarter-finals for the first time in its cricket history, the pacers demonstrated their worth.

Will the Bangladesh players be able to keep up their glory in this World Cup, too?

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a bit optimistic. In an interview with Prothom Alo a few days back, he said, “If you ask me, I would say that Bangladesh’s winning the trophy will be no upset.”

Bangladesh Twenty-20 and Test captain Shakib Al Hasan, called the ‘nucleus’ of Bangladesh, is also positive. In an interview, he said, “We really have chances of winning the tournament this time.”

Despite the captains’ optimistic remarks, there is something more to look at in the Tigers. The recent records, their performance and even body language of the Bangladesh bowlers tell a story of a different Bangladesh that is world-class.

Newly recruited Abu Jayed Chowdhury, who was named as a rookie, has already proved a lot in just two ODI matches. The 25-year-old youngster joined the 5-star elite club in his career’s second match. Thanks to his deadly spells, Bangladesh managed to restrict hosts Ireland inside 300 and won the match by 6 wickets.

Rubel Hossain is Tigers’ key bowler in death overs. To join the five-star club, Rubel bagged his six wickets six years back during New Zealand tour of Bangladesh at Dhaka, in October 2013. At the age 23, the right-arm fast bowler crushed visiting New Zealand for 162 and fired Bangladesh to win by 43 runs. The pacer completed four-wicket haul for seven times in ODI. He also has a five-wicket innings in Test format.

Mustafizur Rahman is the jewel in the Bangladesh’s crown. He is famously called the ‘cutter master’ and adoringly called the “Fizz”. The Fizz is the most destructive weapon. In his 46 match ODI career, the boy with a fire-arm has picked up five-wickets for three times in the single year of 2015 (one against Zimbabwe and two against India). His magnificent bowling fired Bangladesh to win first series against India on home soil. The cutter master also picked four-wickets three times in his brief career.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the living legend of Bangladesh cricket, set out his career’s last World Cup with good memories of the first multinational trophy. Mashrafe joined the five-star club 13 years ago in 2006 against Kenya. In the match, he alone destroyed hosts Kenya for 118 and helped Bangladesh win the match by 6 wickets. The right-arm medium pacer also picked four-wicket seven times.

Apart from the fours in the pace attack, Bangladesh has also picked four all-rounders. Shakib is the only all-rounder who has that five-star badge of honour in ODI.

The golden-arm boy is always on the front foot and leads both the batting and bowling departments from the front. The left-arm orthodox spinner joined the ODI five-star club four years ago during Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh at Dhaka in November in 2015. The all-rounder ace single-handedly crushed the visitors and helped Bangladesh win by 145 runs in the match. In his ODI bowling career, Shakib also bagged 4 wickets eight times.

Shakib Al Hasan, who is considered the ‘X-factor’ in the Bangladesh team, balances Bangladesh in both roles. The world’s no. 1 all-rounder, who can be called a ‘crisis backer’, also has clinched five wickets once in this 194-match ODI career. Shakib Al Hasan has kicked off his World Cup journey with two good memories – firstly, retention of his lost realm in world’s kingdom of cricket all-rounder and secondly, the historic multinational trophy. Also, Shakib Al Hasan is just one wicket away from joining an exclusive club of ODIs to have picked 250 wickets and bagged 5,000 runs.

Shakib is more lethal in the Test format. In just 55 Tests, Shakib claimed his five-wicket haul for 18 times and four wickets as same as of ODI’s.

Aside from the five five-star, all-rounders — Mehidy Hasan Miraz Mohammad Saifuddin and Mohammad Mahmudullah will also be enhancing Bangladesh’s bowling unit in the World Cup.

Mohammad Mahmudullah is one of the old warhorses in Bangladesh squad. He has also claimed five-wicket haul once in his 45-match Test career. He also has three five-wicket innings in first-class cricket.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz is another young germ in the squad. Along with his magnificent batting average both in ODI and Test, Mehidy is good at his offbreak whirling. He is also destructive for the opposition in Test cricket. He picked five-wicket seven times and 10 wickets two times in Test.

Mohammad Saifuddin, who is sometimes weighed as England’s Ben Stokes or India’s Hardik Pandya for his all-rounder performance, is going to play his first World Cup. In his short career, Saifuddin neither has five-wicket experience in ODI or Test, but he has an experience of five-wicket haul in the first class.

He even alone can change equation of a game with his all-rounder magic.

Source: Prothom Alo