It was a remarkable time for Bangladesh when a group of young guns clinched the U-19 World Cup in 2020, defeating a formidable opponent such as India who are recognized for developing a large number of young talents in bulk. This victory came at the expense of Bangladesh.
The satisfaction of winning that U-19 World Cup was immeasurable, and the entire nation celebrated their triumphant return home in droves after the historic victory. The victory was a watershed moment for the nation. However, there has never been a shortage of speculation over their ability to make their mark on the international cricket scene. There are some questions that have already had their answers provided.
It is possible that the fact that the team “stayed together as a family” throughout the season is the single most important factor in their success, as Shoriful mentioned in an interview with The Daily Star just one day after their victory. They shared a similar mentality and an anger that was founded on cricketing sensibilities.
After making his debut in 2021, Shoriful has already established himself as one of the front-line pacers. Tawhid Hridoy, who made his debut only this year, appears to be well-prepared to provide the Tigers with a number four batting spot in the lineup.
After making his debut in 2021, Shamim Hossain was finally able to perform well enough domestically to earn a spot on the Asia Cup team. Prior to that, he had been in and out of the squad and had not yet established a solid foothold.
In point of fact, six players, including opener Parvez Hossain Emon, pacer Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, and batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy, have made it into the lineup for the Tigers in one form or another thus far. The wicket-keeper batter Akbar Ali, who led the side with a great deal of commitment, as well as the spinner Rakibul Hasan and the top-order batter Shahadat Hossain Dipu are waiting in the wings. Recently, Shahadat Hossain Dipu was selected for the Test team that will play Afghanistan.
Due to injuries sustained by opener Tamim Iqbal and pacer Ebadot Hossain, two new players named Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Tanzim Hasan Sakib were given the opportunity to compete in the Asia Cup. Neither of these players has yet made their debut. However, it is the confidence shown by players from that group that has persuaded the national team to pick them up during such a crucial period as the World Cup is getting closer and closer.
When other national teams are considered, it appears that they have not used any players competing in the U-19 World Cup in 2020 in their previous national team competitions. However, this is not the case for Bangladesh’s national squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who finished with the most runs in that competition, only made his debut for the India Test side this year. On the other hand, Ravi Bishnoi, who finished as the tournament’s top wicket-taker, made his debut for the senior side in 2022 but has not appeared for them since then.
It is impossible to overstate how crucial it is for there to be a coordinated effort on the part of a group, rather than just one or two individuals. The faith that the group had going into the championship game is brought to memory by Shoriful.
When we were victorious in the World Cup, our strategy from the very beginning of the competition was to take each match in turn. Up until the semifinals, that was all that remained, but when we made it to the final, there was some kind of determination that because we didn’t know whether we would play for the U-19s again and since we made it to the final, we had to seize the win. And we did.
“Each and every one of our players, right up until the very end, had that fire within them that we will succeed.” In an interview following the Ireland series, Shoriful shared his thoughts on the significance of faith by stating, “That faith was a big thing.”
Shorifull now finds familiar friends, who achieved the astounding achievement in 2020, beside him in the senior side. Examples of such comrades include Hridoy and Shamim.
It is plain to see that everyone is doing well. Regarding the players from that group who were selected for the national squad, he had said, “We have that faith that we will do something good at the World Cup.”
Following the addition of Tanzid and Sakib, the total number of participants from that source is now five. They make a fist, and they are aware that the World Cup win they earned in 2020 will always be with them. They have shown a lot of aggression, a positive outlook, and a lot of faith, which can now go a long way toward helping them win the next major prize.