Shanto To Drop Tanzid Hasan For 'This' Player? BAN Probable XI For T20 World Cup Match vs AUS
Bangladesh have been marred by top-order woes [AP]
On Friday, Bangladesh will kickstart their Super Eights journey in the ongoing T20 World Cup with a high-voltage clash against Australia at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Tigers enjoyed stellar success in the group-stage, securing convincing wins over Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
However, while their bowlers have been phenomenal, their batting unit has emerged as a massive headache for Bangladesh ahead of the Super Eights.
The Tigers have been particularly let down by their top order, with Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan failing to contribute significantly with the bat.
Bangladesh's probable playing XI vs Australia
While Shanto is the captain, Litton is the only specialist keeper-batter in the Bangladesh squad. Therefore, in order to bolster their top-order batting, the Tigers might tinker with their winning combination, replacing Tanzid Hasan with the experienced Soumya Sarkar.
Barring a quick-fire 35-run cameo against the Dutch, Tanzid has little to show in his CV, scoring 12 runs in his other three outings. Although Sarkar hasn't been exceptional of late, Bangladesh might go for this change, considering his experience.
The rest of the Bangladesh lineup will likely be similar to what it was against Nepal, with Shakib, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, and Jaker Ali filling up the remaining batting slots.
The rampant duo of Tanzim Hasan and Taskin Ahmed will spearhead the seam bowling department alongside Mustafizur Rahman, while the in-form Rishad Hossain will lead the spin bowling unit along with Shakib.
Bangladesh' probable XI for T20 WC match vs Australia
Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Litton Das (WK), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman