Trip down to Bangladesh's journey in the ICC T20 World Cup over the years

|| CF Correspondent ||

Bangladesh cricket team's journey in the ICC T20 World Cup has been a mix of highs and lows over the years. As Bangladesh gears up for the ninth edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, let's take a look back at their journey in the prestigious tournament.

The Tigers will get another chance to hone their ability in the upcoming World Cup jointly hosted by the USA and West Indies, having a well-set team comprising mostly youngsters and backed by experienced duo Shakib al Hasan and Mahmdullah Riyad

2007: South Africa 

In the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh were placed in Group A with South Africa and the West Indies, they secured a remarkable victory against the West Indies by 6 wickets but were eliminated after a seven-wicket defeat to South Africa.

2009: England

The 2009 edition saw Bangladesh in Group A with India and Ireland. Tigers suffered heavy losses to both teams (by 25 runs to India and by 6 wickets to Ireland) which drove them to an early exit in the Group Stage.

2010: West Indies

Bangladesh were drafted to a difficult group consisting of Pakistan and Australia in Group A. Despite spirited efforts, they lost by 21 runs to Pakistan and by 27 runs to Australia, once again being eliminated in the Group Stage.

2012: Sri Lanka

The 2012 tournament placed Bangladesh in Group D with New Zealand and Pakistan. They suffered crushing defeats, losing to New Zealand by a margin of 59 runs and were then outclassed by Pakistan, who handed them an 8-wicket defeat.

2014: Bangladesh

As hosts, Bangladesh was determined to put forth a stronger performance on home soil. In the First Round, they triumphed over Afghanistan and Nepal but suffered a shocking defeat to Hong Kong. The Tigers reached the next stage for the first time, they faced tough competition, losing to West Indies, India, Pakistan, and Australia, and were eventually eliminated.

2016: India 

In the 2016 World Cup, Bangladesh won against the Netherlands and Oman in the group stage which got them tickets to the next round. However, in the Super 10 Stage, they lost closely contested matches against Pakistan, Australia, India, and New Zealand, resulting in elimination.

In this tournament, veteran Tamim Iqbal struck a valiant century against Oman, being the only centurion in the World Cup for Bangladesh. He scored 103 runs against Oman and became the highest scorer of the tournament with 295 runs.

2021: UAE and Oman

The 2021 edition saw Bangladesh in Group B of the First Round. They bounced back from an opening loss to Scotland with wins over Oman and Papua New Guinea.

In the Super 12 Stage, they struggled against stronger teams, losing to Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, South Africa, and Australia, and were eliminated.

2022: Australia

Bangladesh got off to a flying start, securing a win against the Netherlands but suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa and Pakistan followed a close win over Zimbabwe but fell to India (in a rain-affected game) leading to another exit in the Super 12.

In a nutshell, Bangladesh's performance in the shortest format of the game can be graded below average but they have been consistently participating in the tournament and obtained key victories, showcasing their growth in the shortest format of the game.