The ‘golden year’ for Bangladesh cricket began with some spirited performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, when the Tigers kicked giant England out from the competition and made it into the quarter-final to face the tournament favourite India.

‘The year 2015 proved to be extremely successful for the cricket-mad nation, with Bangladesh defeating stronger sides such as India, Pakistan and even South Africa in their backyard to kick off a new era’, reports cricketcountry.com.

‘The upcoming months will test Bangladeshi cricket sternly, as they have shown all the right signs of improvement in their past performances. The challenge first up will be against India on Wednesday night [today], as MS Dhoni’s men will be looking to avenge their defeat in last year’s bout.’

‘The reasons why Bangladesh can be backed to continue with their good show are simple: their captain Mashrafe Mortaza is brute enough to keep his players on their toes, and they have enough depth and variation to maintain their winning streak.’

‘The challenge for the Bangladeshis lie is in the mental part of the game. At times they have tried too many things in one go and approached even the smallest of things at great intensity, and this is where they have floundered. If Bangladesh are able to tweak their mindset and play with lot more calmness and confidence in their skills, greater feats are in the offering.’

‘The four-match series against Zimbabwe — their last international engagement in the lead-up to the consecutive cricket tournaments — displayed their frailties. Bangladesh began well with two wins on the trot, but they lost the steam at the very sight of a fightback from Zimbabwe. The series was a good test for the Bangladeshis as far as their bench strength was concerned, which showed there is still a lot more backroom work to be done.’

‘In a way it is good that there are two major Twenty20 tournaments lined up. The Asia Cup 2016 will serve as a prelude to the ICC World T20 2016, and the challenges that the format produces will test their depth as well as mental toughness. Bangladesh have made good start after struggling among the bottom rung teams, and their challenge will be to keep achieving success over a long period of time. Playing the two upcoming tournaments in favourable conditions give them far better chances.’

‘Bangladesh will certainly miss their star batsman Tamim Iqbal, who will be missing the first leg of the T20 challenge — the Asia Cup 2016 — for the birth of his child. He has been replaced by Imrul Kayes, who is expected to make way for the dashing left-handed opener when he returns to the side for the World T20 to be held in India.’

‘What Bangladesh can also do is try and create the same atmosphere in the dressing room which they had in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2016 — a period during which they played fearless cricket and looked far more aggressive than in their past. Rubel Hossain, meanwhile, will be sorely missed.’