Even though every game in a World Cup is important, perhaps Bangladesh's most crucial match will take place this Friday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium when they take on the West Indies.
Placed in the tougher of the two groups, Bangladesh must notch up three victories to have a chance, and four wins to be sure of a place in the quarterfinals of the global event. With the potential banana skin of a defeat to Ireland narrowly avoided the other Friday, the team is now in need of at least two more wins to repay the fantastic support that their countrymen have shown them over the past weeks.
The West Indies team arrived in the capital yesterday evening and went straight to their hotel to rest and recuperate from their day-night fixture against the Netherlands the day before. Today they will have their first practice session in the country at noon, which will incidentally also be their first look at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, as it was still being built when they last toured the country in December 2002, when they won two of their three matches with one being washed out.
Things have changed in the intervening eight years. In 2002, West Indies were clearly the stronger team with Bangladesh struggling to find their feet in international cricket, having been granted full membership of the ICC only two years before. Now, Bangladesh have entered the World Cup one place above the West Indies in ICC's official rankings.
There might also be some leftover bitterness from the West Indies' series defeats at home in both Tests and one-dayers against the newest Test nation in 2009. West Indies cricket was then torn by contractual disputes between the board and the first-choice players, resulting in an under-strength team taking on the touring Bangladeshis. Interestingly, two of the Windies' key players for the World Cup, fast bowler Kemar Roach and captain Darren Sammy, featured prominently in that series. Perhaps it was with that humiliation and their recent slip in the rankings in mind that Roach said of his next opponent, “Bangladesh are an improving team but we are better than them.”
In reality this game is as important for West Indies as it is for Bangladesh. Their slip down to ninth in the world rankings is not a coincidence; it has come about because they have won only seven out of 22 matches since the start of 2010. They looked out of their depth in their first World Cup game against South Africa. Also, they have lost key player Dwayne Bravo, whose explosive mid-order batting and medium pace bowling will be greatly missed, especially in the subcontinent. Their bowling stocks, with the exception of Roach and Suleimann Benn, look worryingly inadequate
All things point to a must-win match on Friday for both teams, chiefly because none can be overly confident of beating the other Test nations in the group.
