No dead rubber for Tigers with World Cup looming

With the first ODI getting abandoned, the remaining two games of the three-match series in Chelmsford have turned into dead rubbers. South Africa have sealed their spot as the eighth team in the 2023 World Cup which means Ireland need to compete in the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. 

For Bangladesh though, the series is of no importance as far as their World Cup qualification is concerned but Tamim Iqbal's side is taking this series as a stage to try out a few combinations in pursuit of finalising the final XV for the showpiece event later this year.

Right now, there are at least four spots for which quite a few players are competing. Bangladesh, of course, are going to be one of the most experienced teams in the World Cup. They will have three players - Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim - who played the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean while no team has even one. 

All of them have already played more than 200 ODIs. There's another 200-game veteran - Mahmudullah - who is one of the players competing for one of those four spots. Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and captain Tamim Iqbal confirmed that they are likely to stick to the new 6-5 combination with Mehidy Hasan Miraz batting in at seven. In the first ODI, he looked confident in his 34-ball-27 and forged the match's biggest partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim. 

But Tamim further stated that they might take an extra batter in the XI if the conditions demand that. Mahmudullah will be in a three-way race with Yasir Ali and Afif Hossain for that spot of an extra batter. Yasir is in the squad for the ongoing Ireland ODIs despite having unimpressive numbers but then again he has played only seven innings.

Mushfiqur impressed once again batting at six, hitting a fine half-century in the first ODI and it is safe to say that he has made that position his own. Towhid Hridoy is likely to be the Tigers' number five as a fast starter and a good player of spin. 

Five fast bowlers travelled to England with the team and three of them - Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud and Mustafizur Rahman - will be there in the World Cup if there is no major overhaul. Add Taskin Ahmed and there is a pretty varied pace attack. 

They will look to have one more back-up pacer and probably one of Shoriful Islam and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury will take that spot. Both are left-arm seamers but the latter is yet to make his international debut. But he is a better batter than Shoriful and is a bowler with more pace. Shoriful, though, has a fair bit of international experience and that might just work in his favour.

In India, spin is going to play a major part in the World Cup. Bangladesh have two quality ODI spinners in Shakib and Miraz but there will be grounds where they would have to play three specialist spinners. Taijul Islam and Nasum Ahmed are competing for that spot and Hathurusingha said Bangladesh will play both of them enough before picking one of them in the World Cup.

Bangladesh are also carrying an uncapped Rony Talukdar as the back-up opener for the Ireland series. They will need Rony or some other player to take that position in the World. Anamul Haque and Mohammad Naim have been in good form in domestic one-dayers and it remains to be seen whether Hathurusingha calls one of them to the squad for the next series.

Bangladesh need to chop and change as much as they can in the remaining Ireland ODIs and the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. These two games may not have any importance in the Super League but will be mighty important for the Tigers keeping in mind the mega event in October.