2016 ICC World T20 Fantasy Guru: The usual suspects

Bangladesh

There has been no clear indication of Mustafizur Rahman’s status after the injury he sustained during the Asia Cup, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he misses out from the playing XI. Wait for the toss; if the left-armer is not playing, get Al-Amin Hossain in.

Mahmudullah’s off-spin wasn’t required in the last match, against India, as Bangladesh had a better off-spinning option in Nasir Hossain. Given the first three overs that he bowled and the lack of competitors, Nasir is expected to hold on to his place. With Mahmudullah batting at No.6 and against a comparitively weaker team, I am going to stick my neck out and say he wouldn’t be needed.

Tamim Iqbal was called back into the team on the back of some scintillating form in BPL and PSL. While the pitches in Bangladesh made it difficult for him to replicate it, Dharamsala and a weak Dutch bowling attack are exactly what he needs to turn it back on. It’s my differential.

With Sabbir Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan already in my team, I don’t see the need for any other players from this side.

Netherlands

Both Stephen Myrburgh and Ben Cooper have been in decent form. Myrburgh has a fantastic overall record too, with 11 50s in 45 innings – that’s 1 in every 4. But Bangladesh have a bowling attack that could run through the top order, especially when you consider the fact that both of them are flashy and don’t play spin all that well.

That takes me to Tom Cooper, who bats at No.4, feeds on true batting surfaces, and bowls off-spin as well. With Bangladesh having 3 left-handers in top 5, I wouldn’t miss out on him.

Captain Peter Borren doesn’t usually bowl his full quota, which makes him drop down the fantasy pecking order despite encouraging all-round numbers to his support.

While I normally like Roelof Van der Merwe, he hasn’t done anything spectacular lately to bank on him, and bats too low (66 runs and 3 wickets in his last 5 games).

Michael Rippon and Mudassar Bukhari seem to be the best bowling options. Bukhari, in particular, has been in good wicket-taking form, but bowls most of his overs up front. He bats a bit too. Tricky decision, but I leave him out, as he doesn’t have the pace to trouble Bangladesh batsmen.

Bangladesh vs Netherlands: Captain – Shakib Al Hasan

Ireland

Zeeshan Maqsood – what could he have in store for Ireland?

With scores of 31, 75*, 72, 8 and 52 in his last 5 innings, captain William Porterfield has been in sensation form of late. I don’t think he is suited to the shorter format, but these numbers and his compelling career record are too good to ignore.

Paul Stirling hasn’t made any notable contribution recently. With Andy McBrine in, his off-spin may not be needed as well. And even his best years haven’t seen him being a dependable fantasy scoring option.

Kevin O’ Brien gets his 4 overs in every match. Couple of wickets, and if he comes off with his bat, we know what is likely to happen. Promising much?

Ireland have developed this strange habit of bowling George Dockrell in the latter half of the innings, but other than that he just bowls innocuous slow left-arm spin. Oman should handle that well, I would like to think.

Oman

Zeeshan Maqsood’s numbers are quite unbelievable. Has 3 consecutive 40+ scores coming into this match, opens the batting and bowls left-arm spin as well. There is no way on earth anyone can go into the match without picking him.

Adnan Ilyas, Oman’s No.4, looks like the next best option. Looks like he is in decent touch too. I would, however, not waste a transfer on him at this point.

Munis Ansari, the Malinga replica, has been hyped up a bit, and rightly so, but he has managed to pick up only one wicket in his last 5 matches. That is a clear indication of him struggling for form. Bilal Khan is the team’s go-to bowler at the death, but as witnessed in the first couple of matches, gambling needlessly on bowlers could return nothing.

Ireland vs Oman: Captain – Kevin O Brien (William Porterfield is an equally good captaincy option in normal conditions, but since the scoring system here is skewed towards bowlers, O’Brien seems a wise move.)

Transfers made – 6; Transfers remaining – 18

Mark Chapman out - Tamim Iqbal in

Tinashe Panyangara out – Al-Amin Hossain/Mustafizur Rahman in

Sean Williams out – Tom Cooper in

Mohammad Nabi out – William Porterfield in

Richie Berrington out – Kevin O Brien in

Richard Mutumbami out - Zeeshan Maqsood in