Best possible start for Tigers

Bangladesh couldn't have asked for a better start to the World Cup, could they? The proverbial monkey out of their back in the very first game and the ominous prospect of facing Australia at the Gabba washed out by Cyclone Marcia, the Tigers now sit in third position in Pool A, ahead of Sri Lanka, England, Afghanistan and Scotland. And they will stay there till the morning of February 26, regardless of what happens in the other games in between, when they face the Lankans at the MCG.

It will be naive to predict, at this stage, whether the Tigers will qualify for the quarterfinals, because a lot of that will also depend on how the other teams fare against each other. But the good thing about having come unscathed from the Australia fixture is that that the Tigers won't be facing the two greatest threats on these conditions -- New Zealand and England (despite England's awful performance so far, they are likely to be a handful for the Tigers at the Adelaide Oval) – before they face Sri Lanka and Scotland.

The Lanka match, in all likelihood, may hold the key to the Tigers' chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals, not just because of their own positive frame of mind, but also because of the opposition they will be facing. While Bangladesh have never played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Lankans have a pretty poor record (6 wins to 11 losses), with a highest score of 267, on that venue. However, the very first match of the pool between Australia and England, played on the drop-in pitch installed for this tournament, produced a run-fest of sorts, with the hosts posting 342 on the board, batting first.

All the 19 wickets fell to seamers or medium-pacers, despite the fact that there wasn't any sign of exaggerated seam movement or swing or turn from any of the bowlers. Hence Bangladesh should be looking to their batsmen to deliver most of the goods on that day.

After Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will be heading to New Zealand for a March 5 clash against Scotland, who they beat on three previous occasions. The Tigers will take the field as the favourites. So it looks as though things are just falling into place for the Tigers at this early stage. The rest of what remains will need to be done on the field.