ICC World Cup 2019: Reasons why overhauling Australia is important to Bangladesh’s semis hopes

Prior to the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, a lot of the experts put forth their picks for the semi-finals. Even as teams like India, England and Australia dominated, many of them reckoned that Bangladesh would end up in the top four. Midway in the mega event, the Tigers, captained by the enigmatic Mashrafe Mortaza, have a realistic chance of progressing that far, defying all the odds.

They are currently placed fifth in the points table with five points from as many games. Bangladesh team is currently locking horns with Aaron Finch’s Australia at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The game is an extremely crucial one for them in order to move to the semi-finals. If Mashrafe’s men end up on the losing side, their chances of a top-four spot become something improbable.

Bangladesh in with an outside chance

A victory in the encounter will help Bangladesh challenge the top four teams, which are India, England, New Zealand, and the Aussies. The Tigers also need to take care of the Net Run Rate that currently stands at -0.270 and a triumph with a margin would also improve it. Mashrafe and Co would have been in a better position if their match against Sri Lanka at the County Ground in Bristol wasn’t abandoned due to rain.

Bangladesh were hot favourites in that encounter and would’ve got full points bearing in mind Sri Lanka’s poor run of form. For the time being, it’s hard for them to remove either of India and New Zealand from the top four as the teams are unbeaten in the mega event with their own match in Nottingham being a washout. The Aussies and the Brits are at a slight disadvantage, having lost one encounter each.

The road to the semis remains a tough one for the Tigers as, after Australia, they are scheduled to play India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in their last three encounters. Out of the three games, Bangladesh will be looking to cash in on the indifferent form of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Apart from winning their own games, Bangladesh also needs a few other results to go in their favour.