Five reasons why Bangladesh will do well in the World Cup

So many people have had a lot of negativity with the way that Bangladesh have prepared leading up to the T20 World Cup.

Although the Tigers won their first-ever T20I series against Australia and followed it up with a first-ever series win against New Zealand.

The qualms about the wins have been with the nature of the wickets in Mirpur, where it was low and slow and helped the spinners and the bowling of Mustafizur Rahman. 

The batters didn't really shine here and that is the worry of most people, as Bangladesh will have to face teams with much more firepower in the group stage of the World Cup when/if they qualify from the qualifying round.

But there are plenty of reasons to think that Bangladesh will do well in the middle-east, and here are five of them.

The team is settled and knows how to win 

For the very first time in Bangladesh's T20 cricket history, they have some consistency. They have found a way to win. It's not pretty but it's certainly effective. The team knows exactly what to do and has the confidence to grind it out in tough conditions. These are all areas where Bangladesh were found wanting previously and now things are starting to look better. 

The bowling attack will suit the conditions perfectly 

The conditions in the UAE and Oman are not too different from what they are in Bangladesh. The heat should not be a problem for the Tigers and the pitches have also shown that they're not absolute belters where 200+ is scored regularly. In fact, with the amount of IPL cricket being played on the UAE pitches, they will have plenty of wear and tear and that will favour the slower bowlers more, and Bangladesh have them in plenty. 

The qualifying matches will give the team more confidence and time to settle in 

Bangladesh will have three matches against relatively easy opposition - Scotland, Oman and Papua New Guinea - and are expected to win all three. The games should not only give the team confidence by winning but will also help them acclimate with the conditions and get enough practice under their belt before tougher challenges await in the group stage. 

The weight of expectation isn't there 

History says that the weight of expectation doesn't help Bangladesh in ICC events. There was the expectation from Bangladesh to do well in the 2016 T20 World Cup, after being in the Asia Cup final a few months earlier, and that didn't end well. The case was similar in the 2011 and 2019 World Cups and those didn't go according to plan whereas the 2015 World Cup was a pleasant surprise as Bangladesh reached the quarterfinal of the tournament.  

The last time Bangladesh played a tournament in the UAE, they reached the final 

Let's not forget that Bangladesh have a good record in the UAE. They reached the Asia Cup final there and pushed India to the brink. Granted this is not the 50-over format, which remains Bangladesh's strongest format, but they can take confidence from their performance in that Asia Cup in 2018. A lot of the players - Shakib Al Hasan, captain Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman - are also part of this T20I squad and will take the experience from that tournament to their advantage. 

Eventually, it's down to how Bangladesh do in the tournament on the day. 

The form of their key players and their fitness, especially the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman and Mahmudullah Riyad are going to be key in this World Cup. 

But there are plenty of reasons to see Bangladesh doing well this time around. 

Who knows, Bangladesh could end up being one of the teams that reach the semi-finals.

Only time will tell, but the elements are in place for it.