Acquiring associate member status in 1977, Bangladesh had to wait 9 more years before their first ODI and a further 12 years for their first victory. By then, cricket had overtaken football as the country’s staple sport, yet the team’s performance didn’t do justice to the support they were receiving from the fans, though things turned out with their win over Pakistan in the 99 World Cup. One of the biggest shocks of the format, that win actually served as a catalyst in Bangladesh gaining test status.
Subsequent momentous yet solitary victories over India and Australia in the next century, followed by another CWC upset over the former in 2007, meant Bangladesh was now in the sweet phase of contending, good enough to trouble any opponent in any given but not good for people to burden them with expectations of winning.
But the 2012 Asia Cup runners-up finish, followed by the golden year of 2015, when they reached the quarters of CWC 15 and secured series wins over India, Pakistan, and South Africa, meant Bangladesh was inching closer to the tag of contenders. Even though the rise is currently at a halt, proper leadership is the only requirement to resume it.
So here’s our Bangladesh All-Time ODI XI, celebrating certainly not the most loved but one of the more passionate sides of the sport.
Tamim Iqbal
The leading run-getter for the country in ODIs, Tamim was amongst the 6 Bangladeshi players in the 00s who made their debuts before turning 18, but he was the solitary member of that group who did justice on the career arc projected on them at the time.
- Matches: 243
- Runs: 8,357
- Average: 36.65
- Strike Rate: 78.52
However, the going wasn’t always easy, especially in the first half of his 17-year career. Till 2014, Tamim had scored 3,971 runs @29.86. He was still amongst the best batters in his land, but compared to what had been the vision of the fans towards him, the tag of ‘underachiever’ was attached to Iqbal. But a turnaround in 2015, which saw him scoring the rest of his 4,386 @46.17, which included a prime stretch between 2015-18 where his average shot up to 57.65, meant the under-achiever shouts were now dead and buried.
He started his CWC career with a match-winning 50 but failed to replicate such standards later on, averaging 24.75 across four editions. However, he was the third-highest run-getter in his solitary Champions Trophy campaign, with an average of 73.25.
Liton Das
Currently 29 years old, Liton has a lot of cricket left in him, and his current resume isn’t anything extraordinary. But him stepping up on the grand stage, a feature uncommon amongst the country’s batters, meant he edged past Imrul Kayes for the opening spot.
- Matches: 91
- Runs: 2,563
- Average: 31.25
- Strike Rate: 86.64
Part of 2 World Cup campaigns, he scored 468 @36 with a strike rate of 89.82. These numbers might not seem much, but none of the Bangladesh batters possess a better mean and a higher scoring rate than Liton’s figures. Having a poor record against top opponents, he turned up in his solitary ODI knockout match in the 2018 Asia Cup final. Scoring 121 runs out of the team’s total of 222, the team unfortunately ended up losing to India, though Das picked up the MOTM award.
Soumya Sarkar
Among the more trolled cricketers of the social-media era, Soumya’s poor performances in the ICC tournaments might be the major cause, but his erstwhile promise in the format makes him a part of the XI.
- Matches: 69
- Runs: 2,012
- Average: 33.53
- Strike Rate: 97.48
First of all, his career scoring rate of 97.48 is the best for any of the Tiger’s batters. In fact, only Sabbir Rahman possesses a strike rate in excess of 90 other than Soumya. He had even better numbers as an opener, but we had a dearth of number 3s, and since he is the 2nd most successful batter in that position (after our no. 5), he has been slotted at the anchor position.
He maintains an average in excess of 40 against the likes of Pakistan, South Africa, and Windies, and although his performance away from home does not replicate his home numbers (AVG:44.63 SR:105.86), his 169 in Saxton Oval, when the second-highest score was 45, ranks amongst the best innings played in a losing cause.
Mohammad Ashraful
Debuting at 16, the numbers below don’t do justice to the hopes that rose amongst the fans when Ashraful debuted. Well, he himself didn’t do justice to the potential and responsibilities he held during his heyday. But Ashraful remains Bangladesh Cricket’s first superstar.
- Matches: 175
- Runs: 3,468
- Average: 22.37 (25.49 at 4)
- Strike Rate: 70.10 (73.06 at 4)
Despite such ordinary statistics, Ashraful is the team’s fourth-highest run-scorer and sixth most capped player. All batters with a higher average and strike rate debuted a minimum of five years after Ashraful’s first ODI in 2001 (except Aftab Ahmed).
Described as someone with memorable rather than consistent showings, four out of his eight Man-of-the-Match awards came against SENA nations, including a century against the Australians in 2005. Such memorable matches bought him a cult following, but his spot-fixing ventures in 2013 cut his career short.
He marginally improved his performance during the World Cups, averaging 24.91 with a scoring rate of 74.75, which is still better than any other Bangla batter outside of our XI (adjusted with respect to Z-factor).
Shakib Al Hasan
3rd most runs and the most wickets for the men in green, Shakib has been the sole individual of the land who can be indeed regarded as an all-time great when it comes to the sport of cricket.
- Matches: 247
- Runs: 7,570
- Bat Average: 37.29
- Strike Rate: 82.83
- Wickets: 317
- Bowl Average: 29.52
- Economy: 4.47
Batting in the top 5 for the majority of his career, he might be the best batter in the country. Statistically, he has batted better in matches held out of Bangladesh than his fellow countrymen and his own numbers at home. He also happens to be the leading run-getter in ICC tournaments with an average of 42.18, and only our number 7 has outperformed him in this metric.
The above accomplishments were more than enough to cement his place in the eleven. On top of them, he is also arguably the best bowler of the nation, debatable with only the pacer who spearheads our attack.
To provide context as to why Shakib is rated amongst the best all-rounders of the game, his average difference of +7.76 is the 5th best in ODI history (minimum. 1K runs and 75 wickets). Although this number falls to +5.55 when it comes to the CWC, his ranking doesn’t alter (minimum. 300 runs and 20 wickets).
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur is one of the few current Bangladeshi players who still carries the attitude of maximising the minimal resources one possesses, which was much more customary in the earlier Bangladeshi sides.
- Matches: 271
- Runs: 7,792
- Average: 36.92
- Strike Rate: 79.74 (84.36 at 6)
- Dismissals: 293
Standing at 5’3′, the term pocket-sized dynamite has been associated with him over the years, but when it comes to his actual batting methods, they’re anything but explosive. But hey! Explosive can indeed be used to describe his celebrations.
A clever extractor of the scoops and cuts, his record against various opponents is well-rounded, with New Zealand (27.31) and South Africa (29.09) being the only 2 non-associate teams against whom his average has gone below 30. Till 2013, his average stood at 26.33, and more importantly, he scored at a rate of under 70 runs per 100 deliveries. However, the transformation in the next 11 years has been extraordinary, with his average and strike rate in the period being 45.28 and 86.5 respectively. This period also includes 45+ average campaigns in the 15′ and 19′ CWCs.
Mahmudullah
The man of big occasions, there have been shouts as to why a batsman as good as Mahmudullah isn’t promoted up in the order throughout his career, and he indeed has been successful in the lesser opportunities he has received in the middle-order. However, a finisher’s task isn’t easy either, nor is it given the deserved value in these parts of the world. This is why Riyad is the perfect and, more importantly, the only man for this job.
- Matches: 232
- Runs: 5,386
- Average: 35.66
- Strike Rate: 76.92
The crisis man of his nation throughout his 18-year stint, 2 out of Mahmudullah’s 4 centuries came when the 2nd highest score was 40 and 22, whereas the 3rd one was when the team was reeling at 33/4. Devoid of brute power, unlike other finishers, his quick running between the wickets and ability to bat along with tail-enders made him the perfect candidate for such situations.
Bangladesh’s best batter in ICC tournaments, his numbers stack up pretty well against performers from the rest of the world. His average of 1,081 across 29 CWC and Champions Trophy matches ranks 10th among batters with at least 1K runs.
Mashrafe Mortaza (C)
A talisman in both leadership and fast bowling, Mashrafe’s record as a bowler is mediocre when judging it through the factors we have used throughout our all-time XIs series, but even we can’t deny the fact that he was the first and only pacer of the country who could pose a challenge to foreign bowlers up until 2015.
- Matches: 218
- Wickets: 269
- Average: 32.65
- Economy: 4.86
- Strike Rate: 40.2
Mentored by Sir Andy Roberts, Mortaza regularly clicked late 130s-early 140 kmph speed in his earlier years, an ability he lost as his career progressed. He enjoyed his most prolific year in 2006, when his 49 wickets were the highest for anyone in the world.
After a 20-year career that saw him bowl 1,820 (the 18th most) overs, the last four years have seriously damaged his overall numbers, with him averaging 44.12 across 51 games in this span. A handy lower-order batter, Mashrafe is actually the 13th-highest run-getter of the nation, with only Soumya possessing a higher strike rate than his (87.56) amongst those with more runs.
Above all, he was the most successful skipper of the country, leading them in their most successful phase from 2014-20. Only Tamim has a win% >50 other than him.
Mustafizur Rahman
Erupting into the international circuit at a time when Bangladesh cricket was on the rise, Mustafizur provided the extra fuel to this journey with one of the most stupendous debut years, and although his stocks have damaged as quickly as his rise was, he is already debatable for the crown of Bangladesh’s best ODI bowler while also having age on his side to make things right again.
- Matches: 104
- Wickets: 164
- Average: 26.26
- Economy: 5.16
- Strike Rate: 30.5
Man-of-the-series in his debut contest against India, by his 17th match, Fizz had picked up 42 wickets at an average of 15.29. Everyone knew of his cutters, but none could counter them. It was like facing a finger-spinner, only that this spinner was bowling at 125 kmph.
Unfortunately, a shoulder injury along with batters adjusting to this dark art over the years has led to Mustafizur losing steam, but he still possesses the best career average for a Bangladeshi bowler (min. 35 wickets). Primarily known for his wicket-taking abilities in ODIs in contrast to his miserly tendency in T20s, he has the 12th best strike rate amongst bowlers with at least 100 wickets. He had a renaissance during the 2019 World Cup, where he was the 4th highest wicket-taker, picking 20 wickets at @24.20.
Abdur Razzak
In a country well known for its absurd number of left-arm orthodox spinners, we have already encountered one, and here is our second. Having individuals such as Enamul Moni and Mohammad Rafique (more to him later) to look up to, Razzak took the craft to a higher level and was Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker at the time of his last ODI.
- Matches: 153
- Wickets: 207
- Average: 29.29
- Economy: 4.56
- Strike Rate: 38.4
Only the second spinner to take a hat-trick in the 50-over format, Abdur was different from other spinners of the country in his attacking approach of looking for wickets at all phases. At the time of his retirement, only 7 other spinners had a better strike rate than Abdur’s 38.4. Having minimal support in the bowling attack, Abdur’s performance in won matches is phenomenal, picking up 129 scalps at @16.18.
Part of 3 ICC tournaments, his performance was elevated by a small margin in these 18 contests, picking up 24 wickets at an average of 27.29. This looks more outstanding when one is made aware of the fact that no other Bangladeshi bowler averages less than 30 in CWCs and Champions trophies combined.
Taskin Ahmed
Before Mustafizur’s introduction in 2015, Bangla fans had touted Taskin as the fast-bowling sensation that the nation craved. Although he has been far away from fulfilling such prophecies, he has done enough to make it into the country’s all-time XI, but there’s no denying he had serious competition from senior compatriots.
- Matches: 73
- Wickets: 103
- Average: 29.98
- Economy: 5.41
- Strike Rate: 33.2
A career average of 29.98 was the biggest advantage he had over them. Only 7 of the Tiger’s top 25 bowlers possess an average under 30, and Taskin is the 3rd latest amongst them in his debut date. He has had equal chances with both new ball and as a first change and has done equally well in both responsibilities. Since his debut, only 5 other pacers have picked more wickets at a lower average (29.41) when their bowling position has been 3 or greater.
Notable Omissions
Imrul Kayes was a contender for the top-order positions since he has a better-adjusted average than both Liton and Soumya, but a 24.62 CWC average and 23.97 away average forced us to think otherwise.
Habibul Bashar is one of the important individuals who have led Bangladesh Cricket to reach where it is currently, but his preferred format as a batsman was the tests, as evidenced by an ODI scoring rate of 60.44.
Mohammad Rafique is one of the first players to enjoy a cult following back home due to his all-round prowess, but a bowling average in the high 30s and just 2 fifty+ scores with the bat meant we limited ourselves to just the two slow-left armers.
It was a tough choice between Rubel Hossain and Taskin, but if the latter was bad in certain metrics, then the former was much worse. The same is true of Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Since we were picking a position lower than number 7, bowling was the major differentiating factor, and thus, Mehidy’s batting heroics didn’t help him much in this situation. A shoutout to Shoriful Islam, who has been impressive in his short stay and may replace his senior teammate in the upcoming years.
So, Our Bangladesh All Time ODI XI is:
- Tamim Iqbal
- Liton Das
- Soyuma Sarkar
- Mohammad Ashraful
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
- Mahmudullah
- Mashrafe Mortaza (c)
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Abdur Razzak
- Taskin Ahmed
12th Man: Imrul Kayes
Extras: Mohammad Rafique, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
