ICC World Cup 2019 | Bangladesh will be a different team under Mashrafe Mortaza, says Anil Kumble

Bangladesh scripted history last week as they won their first-ever tri-series competition, which involved West Indies and Ireland. Mashrafe Mortaza-led Bangladesh ended the outing undefeated as they gear up for a tough summer in the ICC World Cup 2019 in England & Wales from May 30 onwards.

Former India spinner and coach, Anil Kumble, heaped praise on the experienced Bangladesh captain as he added that ‘The Tigers’ look like a different team under Mortaza’s leadership.

“You can’t take Bangladesh lightly anymore. They have done really really well over the last few years. Mashrafe Mortaza is a very good leader. He has rallied around the team and takes the right decisions. When he will be captaining, one will see a different Bangladesh team,” Kumble was quoted as saying on CricketNext in a chat.

Apart from Mortaza, Kumble also hailed Tamim Iqbal as one of the best openers in the current scenario. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain also talked up the presence of experienced players like Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman in the Bangladesh squad. However, he added that Mortaza & Co. will have to be at their very best if they intend to progress in the knockout phase.

“When they get to those knockout matches, they somehow don’t lift their game. That will be the challenge that this Bangladesh team will have,” Kumble concluded.

Bangladesh have already started their camp in England and will play two warm-up games ahead of the World Cup against Pakistan and India. They begin their campaign at the global showpiece against South Africa on June 2 at the Oval.