The 2023 Asia Cup is all set to kick off on Wednesday, August 30 in Multan. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are jointly hosting the continental championship. Among the contenders in Bangladesh, who will be keen to turn the tide in their favour. Veteran All-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan will be leading the team in the tournament.
Bangladesh finished as runners-up in the 2012, 2016 and 2018 editions of the Asia Cup. However, they have yet to lift the trophy. Let’s take a look at their Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Bangladesh ahead of the tournament:
Asia Cup 2023: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh
Strengths:
Shakib-Al-Hasan will be the biggest trump card for Bangladesh in the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup. He will be leading the country in the continental championship after Tamim Iqbal stepped down from the post recently. Shakib has been an exceptional cricketer for Bangladesh across formats scoring over 14000 International runs and taking 678 wickets.
They will rely on him along with Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto. Litton Das has scored 301 runs in 12 ODIs this year, at an average of 30.10, with three fifties to his name. Meanwhile, Mushifur Rahim’s experience will also be valuable for Bangladesh in the tournament.
Weakness:
Bangladesh has been pulled off several great wins over the years. However, they have been very inconsistent with their performance. They lost their recent series ODI series against Afghanistan 2-1. They will miss Tamim Iqbal, who has opted out of the tournament.
His absence will be felt in the batting order as well as the leadership group. They will also be missing Ebadot Hossain, due to injury. He has performed well in his 12-match ODI career so far, picking 22 wickets. He was expected to play a crucial role in the team. His absence makes the bowling attack weaker.
Opportunities:
Bangladesh will be heading into the Asia Cup 2023 championship as the underdogs. They will have to punch above their weight to lift the title. It is a great opportunity for them to get back on track ahead of the World Cup. The Asia Cup will also be an opportunity for Mustafizur Rahman, who hasn’t been at his best this year for Bangladesh.
Threats:
Injuries have been a cause of concern for Bangladesh. Ebadot Hussain has been ruled out of the tournament due to an ACL injury he suffered last month. They will be hopeful that the rest of the unit, especially the fast bowlers remain injury-free for the tournament. Meanwhile, given their poor performance, they will also be under pressure to make a comeback.
Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh Squad
Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan and Tanzim Hasan.
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