NEW DELHI: Bangladesh will need a dramatic turn in fortunes to ensure another World Cup does not cause more misery after the Tigers endured a morale-sapping year in which they slumped from one defeat to another.

Bangladesh failed to register wins for most of 2014 till fellow wooden-spooners Zimbabwe came calling at the end of the year and were duly thrashed 3-0 in Tests and 5-0 in the one-dayers.

It was only Zimbabwe the Tigers had beaten, but fanatical fans in the South Asian nation celebrated as if the World Cup itself had been won.

Bangladesh have struggled at Test level — winning just seven of their 88 Tests since their debut in 2000 — but have always appeared more suited to the shorter format where they have recorded creditable wins.

A five-wicket win over Australia at Cardiff in 2005 was their moment of glory till they knocked India out of the 2007 World Cup to move beyond the first round for the only time in the tournament.

Bangladesh must beat at least one of the big four in pool A — co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England — and also win against both Afghanistan and Scotland to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

A must-win scenario awaits them in the first match itself — against Afghanistan in Canberra on Feb 18 — because a loss like the one they suffered against the same rivals at the Asia Cup at home a year ago could prove costly.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2015

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