Bangladesh remains a strong team at home, but they will struggle when playing abroad—this is the assessment of Ricky Ponting ahead of the Champions Trophy.
The Australian great believes that the Bangladesh team has declined in quality compared to previous years. Bangladesh will play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, where they will not get their preferred conditions, Ponting noted.
Speaking on the ICC podcast, he said, “I think they will struggle. I don’t think they have the quality required, especially when compared to the other teams in the tournament. It seems like they lack the same level of quality as before. When they get their ideal home conditions, they are a dangerous team, but they won’t have those conditions in the Champions Trophy.”
Shakib Al Hasan is not in the squad, and Tamim Iqbal has retired. These two players were Bangladesh’s key pillars in ICC events for a long time. Although Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim are likely playing their last ICC tournament, Ponting acknowledged their importance but admitted that filling the gap in quality will be difficult.
Despite this, Ponting reiterated that Bangladesh will have to struggle. He also predicted that Afghanistan, making their debut in the ICC Champions Trophy, could outperform Bangladesh in the tournament.
“Filling this void will be very difficult. They have high-quality, experienced players, and the team has heavily relied on them in big tournaments. However, I think they will struggle a lot. In fact, I believe Afghanistan will perform better than Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy,” said the Australian legend.
