Bangladesh played well above every ones expectations in 2015 when they defeated much stronger opposition like India and South Africa at home in the shorter formats of the game. They were a much improved side after they had managed to secure their place in the Quarter Final of the World Cup 2015. They will be looking to present a strong challenge in the shortest format of the game and they will look to their openers to set the tone for them.
Tamim Iqbal
It might seem that Tamim has been playing since eternity for the Bangla boys but the fact is that he is only 27 years of age! He has always been a star for them right since that career defining innings he played which sent India crashing out of the World Cup in 2007. The memory of Tamim (all of 18 years of age) charging out to Zaheer Khan and depositing him in the stands way beyond mid-wicket still gives me goose pimples!!
He is a sweet timer of the cricket ball and generally gets Bangladesh off to a rapid start. He has grown more subdued over the years but in T20 cricket he looks to smash the leather of the ball. He is a pleasing timer of the cricket ball and his straight drive is something which is soothing to the eyes and music for the soul!
Lately, he has been struggling with form and fitness issues but he still remains the best opener that Bangladesh can offer and he has the ability to deliver the goods for them especially on the slow Indian batting friendly tracks.
Impact Rating – 7/10
Soumya Sarkar
An elegant and tall left hander he plays quite differently to Tamim. He is young and has made a scintillating start to his international career. He has been compared to Sourav Ganguly and in a short period of time this kid has managed to impress everybody. He has the best average of all Bangladesh batsmen in ODI cricket which is almost touching 50 and an equally impressive strike rate in T20 internationals of almost 140.
His lofted shots over the mid-wicket and cover drives are his strengths and he makes them look quite appealing. He mixes the traditional shots with unorthodox shots like the ramp over the slips quite well.
He is also a very handy slow bowler and he may come in use on the Indian tracks which may be double paced and help medium paced bowlers.
Impact Rating – 7/10
Bangladesh will look to its opening batsmen to give them a steady start and they will look to build from there. They have a powerful middle order which can capitalise if given a decent start. Tamim and Soumya will have a big say in how deep Bangladesh can get in the ICC World T20 in India.
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
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