"If you go in as say the No. 4 team, it means you have done well over 20-23 games. For a team like us, it would give us some confidence,"
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Prior to the start of the three-match home series against India on Sunday, Tamim Iqbal was taken aback by the news that Bangladesh had earned a spot in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Bangladesh was one of seven countries to receive automatic qualification for the World Cup after the ODI series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka ended in a stalemate at Pallekele. Bangladesh has triumphed in five of their previous six ODI series under Tamim’s captaincy, with their first series victory in South Africa in March of this year being the highlight. The Bangladeshi captain with the highest winning % in ODIs is Tamim right now (59.25).
Tigers may not have a great time in T20Is off late but their record in ODI cricket has improved a lot. Since the 2015 WC, they have beaten sides like India, Pakistan and South Africa at home. “I was taken by surprise when I saw that we had completed the qualification. I thought we would need to win one out of the last six games, but because of the other teams’ results, it came early. It gives a bit of a breather, but it is not the ultimate goal. We have to finish in the top four if possible,” Tamim was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
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“I think the way we qualified is a great achievement. I felt that when this qualification thing came up, we took it very seriously. We knew we had some away series too. We didn’t want to wait till the very end to qualify. Going into the 2023 World Cup, we definitely want to do really well. If we qualify as one of the top three or four teams, it makes sense to talk about wanting to play in the semi-finals or finals. If you go in as say the No. 4 team, it means you have done well over 20-23 games. For a team like us, it would give us some confidence,” Tamim further said.
Bangladesh had qualified for the QFs in the 2015 WC and then the semis of the 2017 Champions Trophy but was beaten by India on both occasions. With the ODI WC set to be held in India, they would fancy their chances to qualify for the semis in conditions that are expected to be the same as in their home.
