Bangladesh arrive in India with a lot of untapped potential... for an unscripted soap opera. In crucial days leading up to the marquee event, BCB spectacularly burned their bridges with Tamim Iqbal - only their leading run-getter in ODIs. The senior batter who recently retired from the format was forced to undo his decision, only to then be dropped from the squad for the World Cup. The reason - they wanted him to bat lower down the order which he flatly declined and then aired the dirty laundry in public.
Shakib Al Hasan, the forever enigma of Bangladesh cricket and one who rarely takes a break from being at loggerheads with the board, told in a TV interview that captaincy was forced onto him in a difficult situation and one that he will not hold onto after the tournament. Chaos doesn't begin to describe the condition in which he and his squad touched down in India for a tournament in which they had very little success four years ago.
So what's going to be different this time? There's still cause for some guarded optimism for what they can achieve on the field. They are after all in familiar conditions in India, and come with a rather steady squad in terms of team balance. There could also be added motivation for Shakib - the man with 600-plus runs in the 2019 edition, to find those levels again in what will be his final ODI World Cup. Bangladesh also have a couple of exciting 2000-born players in Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Towhid Hridoy, and a well-balanced bowling department.
