Tigers Have Good Chance in World Cup, Says McCullum
Contrasting his earlier stance of underestimating Bangladesh’s prospects in the World Cup four years ago in England, Brendon McCullum has now taken a complete U-turn. He now considers the Bangladesh cricket team as strong contenders for the upcoming cricket extravaganza in India later this year.
In 2019, ex-New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum made a prediction that Bangladesh would secure just a single victory in the ODI World Cup of that year. However, Bangladesh defied McCullum’s forecast by winning over South Africa in their opening match. Despite this success, Bangladesh narrowly lost a closely contested game against New Zealand.
Viewing the upcoming World Cup as an open competition where any team could excel, Brendon McCullum emphasized that Bangladesh stands a good chance, primarily due to the prevailing conditions.
Over time, Bangladesh has been steadily improving as an ODI cricket team. Brendon McCullum’s assessment this time appears to be accurate. Looking ahead to another ODI World Cup, McCullum’s prediction is that Bangladesh might advance to the semi-finals on this occasion.
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In an Instagram post four years ago, which was subsequently shared on Facebook and Twitter, Brendon McCullum made predictions about the outcomes of matches in the World Cup. In his forecast, he anticipated that Bangladesh would suffer eight losses in the tournament and secure a sole victory against Sri Lanka.
This prediction sparked a significant uproar on social media, leading to McCullum being viewed as an antagonist by Bangladeshi fans practically overnight.
Subsequently, the Bangladesh cricket team, often referred to as the Tigers, exceeded expectations by winning three matches, which notably included a victory against the strong contender South Africa. They also secured wins against West Indies and Afghanistan.
It’s noted that the Tigers could have potentially defeated McCullum’s home country, New Zealand, if not for a blunder by Mushfiqur Rahim behind the wickets. This error allowed New Zealand captain Kane Williamson to survive and eventually guide his team to a narrow victory.
Although McCullum refrained from sharing predictions on his social media this time, he did disclose his perspective on potential trophy contenders during an interview with an Indian media outlet.
When asked about India’s status as a favorite in the World Cup, McCullum stated, “Look, I think India will be very strong. When you bring Bumrah back into any side it improves you by a length. He’s one of those rare players who knows how to win games on his own and stand up in clutch moments. So, obviously, an Indian side with him in it will be very strong.”
“India has got so much talent, right. We’ve seen that in the IPL, we’ve seen young kids come through and burst onto the scene and perform and secure their place in international cricket and go on to have successful careers. I expect India to be there at the end of the tournament.”
McCullum proceeded to make his selections for the potential World Cup semi-finalists. He further said, “To try and pick the semi-finalists will be very difficult in this World Cup. Sometimes, you go to a World Cup and you can have reasonable predictions about who you think will make it. On this occasion, not really sure. I think India will be there. England have a good chance. Then you’ve got the likes of Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand…they always find a way in the World Cups. Bangladesh too in these conditions…you just never know.”
“So, I think it’s really an open World Cup. Whoever starts well, will probably give themselves the best chance to be there at the end.”
Bangladesh’s best achievement in the World Cup has been reaching the quarter-finals. In the upcoming tournament, the format has changed, eliminating the quarter-final stage. Instead, the top four teams will proceed directly to the semi-finals after the round-robin league. As a result, speculations and predictions are rife regarding which teams will secure spots in the semi-finals.
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