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No room for complacency

Naimul Karim
When Bangladesh begin their ICC Twenty20 World Cup campaign in three months time they will be up against a task that they were more familiar to back
in the 90s; when they were one among the non-full member cricketing nations, battling to break into the big league.
Till date, that epic moment - when Bangladesh reached the finals of the ICC trophy in 1997 and confirmed their spot in the World Cup - remains crystal clear in the minds of supporters and has become a landmark in Bangladesh's cricketing history.
16 years on, the Tigers will face a similar challenge - this time in their own backyard - when they take on the likes of Afghanistan, Nepal and Hong Kong in the first round of the ICC World T20.
The scenario though is a lot different. For the Tigers, who have scaled new heights, theoretically, this should be a mere walk in the park.
However, the 'ifs' and the 'buts' have never been short in supply in T20 cricket and adding to that is Bangladesh's dismal run in this format of the game. The associates have nothing to lose here but for Bangladesh the stakes are high. It's about maintaining the high expectations and being successful in a grand event that the coun-
try would be hosting for the first time.
Majority in Bangladesh's cricketing fraternity expect Bangladesh to breeze through the first round.
"I don't think that the grouping is tricky at all. Bangladesh is a much better side than the associate members, especially in home conditions. Our aim in fact should be to the beat the countries in the final round. For us not to qualify will be a very big upset," said former chief selector Faruque Ahmed, who is tipped to regain the post shortly.
The new chairman of Bangladesh Cricket Board's Cricket Operations Committee, Akram Khan, who will have to chalk up a proper programme to ensure the national team's success in the World Cup, echoed Faruque's sentiments.
" AT20 game may go out of hands in just an over or two, but at home conditions we should be in good form. There were a few Afghans who performed well against the clubs here, and things will probably be a bit easier for them. But it won't be easy for them to replicate the performance against the national team," said Akram.
Off field analysis will no doubt gather pace as the grand event draws closer, but eventually what's going to be is how Bangladesh perform on the field. While there might be a hint of pressure on the players, there definitely won't be any room for complacency.
As Shohag Gazi puts it, "We will play against these teams as we normally do against any other big team, with full effort. No team can be taken for granted. I have seen the Afghan players during the Dhaka Premier League. While their style of play may not be as mature, they are talented."