When one talks about Bangladesh's cricketing literature, there’s always room for Akram Khan. The burly batsman, whose lofty hits took Bangladesh into their first ever World Cup, needs no introduction. What he did is now a glorious part of Bangladesh's cricket history.

The big man knows better than anybody else as to what kind of emotions develop among the country's cricket fraternity when it comes to World Cup.

But when he says that the current team is capable of beating any team in the world, he is not filling the shoes of just another overly dramatic fan; he has after all seen these boys up close.

According to the former national captain, momentum is all what this team needs. And for that, he wants the Tigers to do well in their first four practice matches.

“The four practice matches

will be really important, especially the one against Pakistan, because we are yet to beat them after 1999. If everyone plays well, we will get the momentum, which is very important for us. We all know consistency is a big problem," he opined.

"1 am not worried about the strengths of the other team. Instead of targeting just one team, the players should focus on their own strengths. I have worked closely with these boys and I believe that on their day they can beat any team in the world," he added.

The fluctuation of the players' confidence levels, according to Akram, is Bangladesh's biggest problem.

"When we win a match our confidence level is very high, but the opposite happens when we lose. We depend a lot on the rhythm and that's why I am emphasising on the practice matches. That was the sole difference between our performances in 2013 and 2014" said Akram.

As a player Akram was a part of two World

Cup squads which witnessed opposite results. In 1999, they beat Pakistan and made history, where as in 2003, disputes between the players led to a disastrous World Cup for the Tigers. Akram however, reckoned that team spirit would not be an issue with the current group.

"They talk a lot more among themselves compared to us back in the days. They are close to each other and the com-

munication is really good. So I don't think team spirit will bean issue here," he said.

And on that note, Akram recalled Bangladesh's sweet success in their first World Cup when they beat Pakistan.

"That was our moment. We were so busy celebrating our win that I actually forgot that I was supposed to go out with Wasim Akram. He said that we would take me out if we could beat them. But I had to politely decline because we were having our own party," he recalled.