DHAKA: Bangladesh have set their sights on capping a remarkable rise by reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s arrive in England confident of making the last four on the back of impressive form that marks them as a serious threat to the established order.
Bangladesh showed they can compete with cricket’s elite nations when they advanced to the Champions Trophy semi-finals two years ago from a strong group featuring England, Australia and New Zealand.
Significantly for their hopes in this edition of the World Cup, that memorable campaign came in England.
It was also further proof of their emergence following a maiden World Cup quarter-final berth in 2015.
Bangladesh’s group stage win against England four years ago proved to be a catalyst for the side, boosting their belief and triggering a sustained spell of success.
Between April 2015 and October 2016, Bangladesh won five one-day international series in a row against Pakistan, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
All of those series were played at home but it was still a huge sign of progress for a Bangladesh team considered as international whipping boys not so long ago.
The series wins helped Bangladesh climb the rankings, earning them automatic qualification for the Champions Trophy and the World Cup.
They maintained that consistency with 13 wins from their 20 one-day internationals in 2018 and are currently ranked seventh.
Bangladesh will carry plenty of experience into the tournament in the form of captain Mashrafe, vice-captain Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.

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