T20 World Cup 2022 Match 17- Predicted Bangladesh Playing XI vs Netherlands

After a very disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021, the Bangladesh team will hope for a turn around as they begin their campaign against the Netherlands on October 24 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart. The team has made quite some changes since the T20 World Cup 2021 as some of the senior players like Mahmudullah are no longer part of the T20I set-up.

They have changed their approach, appointed Shakib Al Hasan as their new captain but as things stand, nothing in terms of result has changed. 

Heading into the eighth edition of the marquee tournament, Bangladesh were handed defeat by New Zealand and Pakistan in the recently concluded tri-series and they also lost to Afghanistan by 62-runs in their warm-up match at Brisbane.

Despite that, the team will start as the favourites against the Netherlands. They have played three T20Is against the Dutch side and won two of them and even on paper, look the stronger side. Fortunately, they have all their 15 players available for selection in the match and this is how they can line up against the Scott Edwards-led side.

Let us look at Bangladesh's probable playing XI against the Netherlands:

Openers: Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto

Litton Das’ absence was felt when he missed the Asia Cup because of an injury. Since returning back, the opener has scored 180 runs in the six matches that he batted in thus far. However, what’s more important is the kind of intent he’s showing in the field. Bangladesh in recent times have suffered a lot because of their approach in T20Is but Litton is someone who loves to play aggressive cricket in order to give his team a good start. 

In the 60 T20Is that he has played so far for Bangladesh, the 28-year-old has scored 1261 runs at a strike rate of 127.63. Coming to the match, the only thing he should focus on is converting his starts into big totals - something that his opening partner Najmul Hossain Shanto would want to focus on as well.

The southpaw has played 12 T20Is for Bangladesh so far and scored just 204 runs at a strike rate of 103.03. The 24-year-old has been pretty poor so far in Bangladesh colours but this T20 World Cup is where he can prove his class and cement his spot in the Bangladesh T20I side.

Middle-Order: Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (WK)

The 23-year-old Afif Hossain made his T20I debut in 2017 and instantly impressed everyone with his batting skill. Since then, the youngster has played 55 T20Is for the Bangla Tigers and scored 908 runs at a strike rate of 120.10. Playing at number five, he will have the role to finish matches for Bangladesh and give them a much-needed win to kickstart their campaign in style.

Nurul Hasan, on the other hand, has proved his mettle in international cricket. The wicket-keeper batter has played 41 T20Is for the side and scored 404 runs at a strike rate of 120.95. Being the vice-captain of the side, Nurul will have to take responsibility and play a solid knock under pressure. Just like Afif, he will have the responsibility to help Bangladesh finish well in the match.

All-Rounders: Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (c) and Mosaddek Hossain

Soumya Sarkar wasn’t originally drafted into the squad but replaced Sabbir Rahman after he was removed following a poor stint with the bat. The 29-year-old Soumya Sarkar has played 68 T20Is for the side and scored 1163 runs at a strike rate of 122.29 and picked up ten wickets in the shortest format of the game.

Batting at number three, he will aim to provided the much-needed stability that is currently missing in the Bangladesh batting line-up.

Now coming to the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket, captain Shakib Al Hasan has played 104 T20Is and scored 2199 runs in the process. With the ball in his hand, he has picked up 122 wickets at an economy of 6.73 and that proves the kind of impact he can create.

He is a runaway match-winner in the Bangladesh team and has proved that multiple times in his 16-year-long international career. However, this time, it’s going to be a very difficult considering Bangladesh’s recent form in the shortest format of the game.

Mosaddek Hossain is arguably Bangladesh’s X-factor in the tournament. He played some good cricket in the Asia Cup 2022 and if he can manage to step up once again, Bangladesh can dream to start their campaign on a winning note. In 28 T20Is, he has scored 351 runs at a strike rate of 116.22. The 26-year-old has also picked up 16 wickets at an economy of 6.93. In the big grounds of Australia, his variety can definitely trouble the opponent batters.

Bowlers: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain

The 27-year-old Taskin Ahmed has played 41 T20Is and picked up 28 wickets for the side at an economy of 7.86. In the warm-up game against Afghanistan, the speedster picked up three wickets and can be very dangerous. He is someone who can bowl at an express pace and thus, the Australian conditions will definitely suit him.

Mustafizur Rahman, on the other hand, is arguably Bangladesh’s best bowler in the T20 World Cup. In the 73 T20Is he has played, the speedster has picked up 94 wickets at an economy of 7.79. Being a left-arm pacer, he is definitely one of the bowlers to watch out for in the tournament. 

The 27-year-old Nasum Ahmed has played 27 T20I matches and picked up 31 wickets for Bangladesh. Even though his record outside Asia isn’t great, the spinner would want to change that and prove his worth in these conditions.

The 28-year-old Ebadot Hossain hasn’t played a lot of T20I cricket for Bangladesh but his numbers in Test cricket are pretty impressive. Now, even though he isn’t an experienced custodian, Ebadot can be very dangerous in Australian conditions. He has played three T20Is for the side and picked up six wickets at an economy of 9.58. Now, if he manages to keep his economy under control, Ebadot can do well in the tournament.

Bangladesh Predicted XI:

Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (WK), Mosaddek Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain