Dhaka: After winning the tri-series tournament in Zimbabwe, the Bangladesh Under-19 team has now shifted its focus to next year’s World Cup.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the youth World Cup, which Bangladesh has won once in 2020 under the leadership of Akbar Ali, will be jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia in January of the coming year.
A successful outing in Zimbabwe just five months before the World Cup has provided the team with a significant mental boost, as stated by U19 Captain Azizul Hakim Tamim. “The successful Africa tour gave us confidence to do well in next year’s World Cup,” Hakim shared with reporters after the team arrived back in the country from Harare, Zimbabwe.
During their month-long Africa tour, Bangladesh triumphed in a four-match youth ODI series against South Africa by 3-1 and capped off the tour successfully by defeating South Africa by 33 runs in the final to clinch the title of the tri-series, which also involved hosts Zimbabwe. All-rounder Rizan Hossain played a pivotal role in securing the title, scoring 95 runs and achieving a five-wicket haul.
Praising Rizan’s performance, Hakim noted, “He was solid as an all-rounder and gave us some impetus when it required. I think that when we were struggling, Ratul also won us two matches.” He further added, “The performance of Rizan in the final match was quite a memorable one. When the team is struggling, if someone comes and delivers a good performance and leads the team to victory, that is amazing.”
Hakim also emphasized that the success in Africa was a significant mental boost for the team. “The success in Africa is the testament of how we improved and gel together as a team. Our middle-order batters are doing well. The likes of Abdullah, Rizan are performing well. Overall the team has been in good stead,” he remarked.
He concluded by stating, “We have been working hard for a year. Mentally, physically, we are thinking about the World Cup now.”