CF Correspondent

The key to  Bangladesh’s success in the 2015 World Cup in Australia-New Zealand was the pacers’ superb bowling effort as they varied their pace quite cleverly to restrict most of the opponents below 300 runs mark to make the batsmen’s task easier.

While the England wicket also is believed to produce huge runs, the pacers need to take the onus and play as a unit like the previous World Cup, insisted captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

“According to me the English condition will be similar to Australia. The wicket will be flat. In Australia the pacers did well despite the negative talk around them. I believe our pacers have the ability to do well in England in the upcoming World Cup too,” Mashrafe said on Monday.  

Mashrafe in fact was key in the country’s pace bowling revival when no captain of Bangladesh dares to take risk with the pacers, being pessimistic about their ability to thrive even in a condition favourable for the fast bowlers.

But once he took the charge as a captain, Mashrafe gave the pacers an assurance and made them confident about their ability. He was also the first captain in Bangladesh to take risk with playing four pacers even in home condition where the spinners usually rule. Mashrtafe’s policy gave the pacers such confidence that they dazzled with cherry in 2015 World Cup to play in important role in taking Bangladesh to the quarterfinal.

“We the pacers who are in the team would have to play an important role in giving the side a good start. If our pacers do well, I am sure our chance to win the game will increase,” he said.

Mashrafe added that the pacer bowlers need to fire as a unit to help Bangladesh reach their expected goal.

‘Even though we moved to the semifinal of Champions Trophy, our pacers couldn’t do well as a unit. That’s why we conceded 300 plus runs in most of the matches. Hopefully this time they will not make that mistake.”

But the Bangladeshi pacers do not possess the extreme pace, a thing that many predicted would trouble them. Mashrafe said they would have to rely on the variations like the way they did in 2015 World Cup.