Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh’s Strongest XI

Bangladesh ODI Team (Photo Source: Twitter)

Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh have announced their squads for the Asia Cup 2023 to be played from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, who failed to qualify for the Super Four in the previous edition of the tournament, will look to do wonders, this year. In the last 12 years, Bangladesh have played quality cricket in the One-Day International (ODI) format of the continental tournament, and this year, they will look to do the same.

In the 2018 installment of the tournament, the Bangla side beat Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka and qualified for the final. However, they lost to India in the summit clash and concluded their journey as runners-up for the second time in the history of the marquee tournament played among Asian sides. On August 12, Bangladesh selected a 17-member squad for the tournament and now, these players will look to help their team lift the coveted trophy for the first time.

Here is Bangladesh’s strongest XI for the Asia Cup 2023

1. Mohammad Naim

Mohammad Naim. (Photo Source: Twitter)

In Tamim Iqbal’s absence due to a back injury, Mohammad Naim might open Bangladesh’s innings in the upcoming competition. Naim has played only four ODIs thus far and has scored only 10 runs in three innings. However, he has played a lot of domestic cricket, which makes him reliable to fill the shoes of Tamim in the upcoming competition.

This time, if he gets a chance to open the innings, he will look to deliver fine starts to his team and improve his record as an opening batter. In List A Cricket, he has scored 3662 runs with seven centuries and 27 fifties in 83 innings of 84 matches at a strike rate of 87.29.

The young Bangladesh stalwart will strive to grab this golden opportunity with both hands to help his side win the huge competition. Naim will also look forward to showcasing his mettle and reserving his spot in the team that will travel to India for the World Cup 2023 in October.

2. Litton Das

Litton Das. (Photo Source: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Litton Das will be a vital cog in Bangladesh’s campaign in the competition coming ahead. Currently, he is one of the senior players whose responsibility will be to step up with his bat and deliver solid knocks to the Bangladesh team. Das is also the vice-captain of his team.

Das is active in international cricket since 2015 and so far, he has appeared in only one edition of the Asia Cup played between 2016 to 2022. In the 2018 installment of the tournament, the right-handed batter was the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh with 181 runs in six matches with a century against India in the crucial final.

Das’s performance has been decent this year as he has scored 301 runs with three half-centuries in 12 ODIs at a strike rate of 91.21. The 28-year-old will look to back himself to be disciplined with his bat and take quality bowling units to the cleaners.

3. Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto. (Photo Source: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Najmul Hossain Shanto could be seen supporting Litton and Naim in the top order. In the 2018 Asia Cup, Hossain broke into ODI cricket in the group match against Afghanistan. His maiden series didn’t go well as he could accumulate only 20 runs in three games he got from the team management.

This year, the left-handed batter is in sensational form as he has scored 429 runs with a century and three fifties in 11 innings of 12 matches. In the three-match ODI series against England in March, Shanto notched up a couple of half-centuries and ended up as the second-highest run-getter for Bangladesh.

He scored 111 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 72.07. Playing the third game, his half-century helped his team hammer the visitors by 50 runs. In Bangladesh’s ODI series loss at the hands of Afghanistan in July 2023, Shanto failed to live upto the expectation but leaving his failure behind, he will look to be impressive in the 2023 Asia Cup.

4. Towhid Hridoy

Towhid Hridoy. (Photo Source: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Towhid Hridoy’s responsibility will be to reinforce Bangladesh’s middle order. During Ireland’s tour of Bangladesh in March 2023, he made his ODI debut. The right-handed batter has played only nine one-day matches so far, in which he has scored 338 runs with three fifties in eight innings.

Playing his debut series, he succeeded in impressing Bangladesh supporters with his fine batting performance. He scored 141 runs in two innings of three games at a stellar strike rate of 118.48 and ended up as the third-leading run-getter in the series. In his debut game, he became the Player of the Match for guiding his team to a 183-run win with his 92-run knock off just 85 deliveries.

However, his real test will be in the Asia Cup 2023 where he will confront the quality bowling attacks of India and Pakistan. Currently, the 22-year-old is playing for Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). His league experience will help him to deliver the best to his national side in the marquee tournament.

5. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al hasan. (Photo Source:Steve Bell – ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

With Tamim Iqbal not participating in the Asia Cup 2023, Shakib Al Hasan will don the captaincy hat again for Bangladesh for the upcoming marquee events 2023 Asia Cup and 2023 World Cup. Hasan has played a lot of cricket in his 17-year career and he has the calibre to help Bangladesh clinch the maiden Asia Cup title.

The veteran has served Bangladesh excellently as an all-rounder in ODIs. With the ball, he is the highest wicket-taker for his team with 305 wickets in 235 matches at an economy of 4.44. While as a batter, he is the third-most successful player, racking up 7211 runs with nine tons and 53 fifties.

Hasan will be expected to lead Bangladesh from the front and make a massive contribution to the team in the competition with his all-round talent. The 36-year-old was the most efficient player for Bangladesh in the ODI series played against England in Match this year. Playing all three games, he notched up 141 runs and six wickets.

6. Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Mushfiqur Rahim is the most experienced player in the current Bangladesh side. In his vast 18-year career, the wicketkeeper-batter has given top-notch services to his team. It was under his captaincy in 2012 when Bangladesh qualified for the final for the first time and ended their journey as runners-up.

In 2018, when Bangladesh concluded their campaign as runners-up for the third time in the continental tournament, the veteran player became the most-successful batter for the Bangla side in the competition. Scoring 302 runs with a century and a fifty in five matches, he ended up as the third-most successful batter in the competition.

Rahim is the leading run-getter for the Bangla side in the Asia Cup (ODI format), scoring 699 runs in 21 matches at a strike rate of 84.52. The upcoming Asia Cup installment might become his last appearance in this prestigious tournament, and looking forward to that, his endeavours will be to utilise his experience and talent to help Bangladesh win the series.

7. Afif Hossain

Afif Hossain. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Afif Hossain will play the role of a finisher in the squad. Batting down the order, Afif has the potential to deliver match-finishing innings to his side. This year, he showed up in six ODIs and scored only 51 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 10.20. However, the 23-year-old has the capability to turn things around.

The year 2022 was magnificent for this Bangla player. Appearing in 15 ODIs, he amassed 349 runs in 12 innings at an average of 38.77. He also scored three fifties in the calendar year. In February 2022, he played a notable unbeaten knock of 93 off 115 against Afghanistan in Chattogram.

Along with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, he stitched an unbeaten 174-run partnership for the seventh wicket and helped his side pull off the game with four wickets in hand. In the Asia Cup 2023, the youngster will be expected to do wonders with his bat and win games for Bangladesh against big teams.

8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Mehidy Hasan Miraz. (Photo Source: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Along with Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz also possesses the ability to conclude games in style. In the 2018 Asia Cup, Miraz got all six games from his team and scored 110 runs from his bat, and picked up four wickets with the ball. When India visited Bangladesh in December 2022, Hasan helped his side win the ODI series against the Men in Blue after seven years.

In the first ODI in Mirpur, he built an unbeaten 51-run partnership with Mustafizur Rahman for the last wicket and took his team home with his unbeaten 38-run innings. The 25-year-old continued his form in the second one-day and guided his team to an intriguing five-run victory with his unbeaten century.

Miraz also became the Player of the Series for his massive contribution to the Bangla team’s marvellous triumph. However, this year, his performance hasn’t been upto the mark as he hasn’t delivered anything solid as a batter but his bowling performance will give relief to Bangladesh supporters. Appearing in 10 ODIs in 2023, Miraz has claimed only nine wickets at an economy of 5.13. In the Asia Cup 2023, his all-round skills will be vital for Bangladesh’s campaign.

9. Taskin Ahmed

Taskin Ahmed (Photo Source: Twitter)

Taskin Ahmed will bolster Bangladesh’s pace attack in the upcoming competition. Riding on his spectacular bowling skills, the Bangla side registered their maiden ODI series victory in South Africa in 2022. Grabbing eight wickets in three ODIs, he ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the series.

Taskin is the most experienced bowler in the squad and noting that, his team will want him to step up and play attacking cricket in the Asia Cup. He has put up a brilliant show with the ball this year as he has fetched 12 wickets in six innings of seven ODIs at a thrifty economy of 3.71.

The Bangla paceman has played a lot of cricket against Asian sides such as India and Afghanistan. As this year’s Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the 28-year-old will look to take advantage of familiar sub-continent conditions as well. Taskin’s bowling numbers are fabulous in Sri Lanka as he has played three games in the island nation and has scalped six wickets.

10.  Ebadot Hossain

Ebadot Hossain (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ebadot Hossain has performed efficiently with the ball for Bangladesh in white-ball cricket. The pacer made his ODI debut in August 2022 during the Zimbabwe tour and since then, he has bagged 22 wickets in 11 innings of 12 matches at an economy of 5.60. Ebadot showcased his mettle during the India series in December.

In the three-match ODI competition, he claimed nine wickets in three games at an economy of 6.29 and ended up as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series, along with the veteran Shakib Al Hasan. Hossain ended the year 2022 on a positive note, picking up 11 wickets in only four ODIs.

However, his 2023 performance isn’t impressive as he struggled against quality sides such as England and Afghanistan. The 29-year-old bowler will strive to regain his form in the Asia Cup 2023 so that he could amass confidence for the World Cup 2023 to be held in India in October-Novemeber.

11. Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman (Photo Source: Twitter)

Mutafizur Rahman will spearhead Bangladesh’s pace attack in the Asia Cup 2023. His stupendous fast-bowling skills make him an outstanding speedster in the side. In his eight-year career, he has made a huge contribution to Bangladesh’s success against big teams.

In the 2018 Asia Cup, he became the most successful bowler for his team with 10 wickets in five matches at a frugal economy of 4.40. Playing the huge game against Pakistan in the Super Four stage, Rahman took a stunning four-wicket haul and guided his team to a convincing 37-run win.

As a premier bowler, Mustafizur will have to showcase his best in the continental tournament to make his team champions in the massive competition. The Bangla paceman is familiar with the surfaces in Pakistan as he played for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2018. The 27-year-old also played five ODIs in Sri Lanka from 2017-19 and clinched 10 wickets. Riding on his previous experiences, Mustafizur will look to be effective in this year’s Asia Cup.