I'm still playing on my long-time Bangladesh save. I posted a page ago but that didn't really include too many details about my squad so I might make a more detailed effort here.
The year is 2021, and Bangladesh still are nowhere near being a force in cricket, although we are slowly rising up the rankings. I haven't edited any of the players ratings, that would just give me no sense of satisfaction when I win. We haven't really been able to make any improvement in Test matches, and are still sitting in 9th position, tied with Zimbabwe and one point behind New Zealand. We were actually leading New Zealand in tests, however the recent series was a 1-1 draw after New Zealand managed to pick up a fluky victory in the second Test which saw them push one point ahead of us again.
ODIs are a different story though, as we begin to build our squad. Alok Kapali, perhaps one of the greatest ODI players ever for Bangladesh has retired many years ago, but some of the faithfuls like Al Hasan and Iqbal are still in the squad. We are sitting 6th in the world, ahead of the West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, and we are just 4 points short of Pakistan. Australia still lead the ODI ratings, whilst India are on top of the Tests.
Here is the starting Test XI:
1. Derek Arif
Born in 1994, Arif made his debut in the first class arena at 23 and was selected in the Test and ODI squads that year after some superb performances. He has now cemented down a spot at the top of the lineup, and despite some inconsistent performances of recent times, he is still a valuable batmsan.
Test: 1340 runs @ 31.16
ODI: 1617 runs @ 44.92
2. Tamim Iqbal
His first class career has spanned 17 years but he still shows no sign of slowing down, and at the age of 32 there seems to be still a lot more ahead of him. He is the most successful Bangladeshi batsman ever, and took over the captaincy role of Shakib Al Hasan in 2018. He still remains one of the more reliable batsmen, and has 6 test centuries and 9 ODI centuries to back this up.
Test: 3751 runs @ 29.54
ODI: 5382 runs @ 33.64
3. Shakib Al Hasan
He has remained in the squad since the start of the coach's campaign in 2009 and he has one of the rare distinctions in the Bangladeshi squad - he has never been dropped through form. However, at the age of 34, his best cricket is behind him and he is starting to struggle to take wickets like he used to in test matches, and he is not quite as consistent as he was in his youth.
Test: 4248 runs @ 28.13, 362 wickets @ 25.96
ODI: 5277 runs @ 28.52, 318 wickets @ 23.35
4. Sharif Imam
Born in 1998, the now 23 year old made his first class debut in 2020, and, like Derek Arif, was immediately snapped up into the test team after averaging over 50 in the first class. However, he hit a form slump upon joining the team and hasn't performed as well as he would like. Despite this, he is being touted as the next big thing for Bangladesh, and with many years to come in his career, he could soon hold down the number 3 position and possibly even captain the team after the departure of Iqbal and Al Hasan. He looks extremely promising for the future.
Test: 240 runs @ 20.00, 2 wickets @ 91.00
ODI: 269 runs @ 33.62, 1 wicket @ 31.00
5. Delwar Ahmed
An aggressive middle order batsman, Ahmed has performed quite solidly for the Bangladesh team in recent years without being brilliant. In his 33 innings for Bangladesh, he still doesn't have a century to his name, but has looked promising and has hit valuable runs when required. However, he often gets a start but doesn't go on with it, proving to be very frustratin for Bangladesh. At the age of 28, he is hardly one of the young guns, but should hold his spot for a few more years.
Test: 379 runs @ 23.69
ODI: 311 runs @ 25.92
6. Farhiz Rehman
The youngest player in the Bangladesh squad, Rehman, is just 21 years old and looks to have an exciting career ahead. Whilst not quite up to the standard of Sharif Imam, he looks like he could have a potential middle order position in the Bangladeshi squad and has already been thrown into the Test side. His first ever series against Pakistan looked to be a horror start, as he yielded just 1 run from 3 innings but he showed signs of maturity with a composed 57. He still has a lot of work but is looking like a possible candidate for a spot in the middle order.
Test: 58 runs @ 14.50
7. Asif Gul
Born just 8 days after Farhiz Rehman, he made his test debut at the age of 20, a year ago, however that was only for a one off position with injuries plaguing the Bangladeshi team and he hardly looked impressive in his first two test matches. After a spell in first class cricket, he has returned at the age of 21 and has looked extremely encouraging with a superb series against Pakistan, in which he hit 164 runs at an average of 54.67.
Test: 229 runs @ 32.71
8. Mushfiqur Rahim
His career has spanned 17 years but he has been frequently in and out of the team, with Imrul Kayes often favoured over him. However, in recent times with the lack of Bangladeshi keepers, he has been called into the side again. However, he tends to fail often when under pressure, but he is known for an occasional good innings in which he scores runs very quickly. He has a total of 262 dismissals as wicketkeeper for Bangladesh, but his batting hasn't been quite so successful, and despite having a staggering 227 innings in all forms for Bangladesh, he has never scored a century in the red and the green.
Test: 1915 runs @ 19.34
ODI: 1914 runs @ 23.63
9. Sajidul Islam
At the age of 33, some say his best years are behind him, but he still proves to be one of Bangladesh's leading strike bowlers and is extremely valuable for his country. He can be a game breaker for his country and when he gets going, he normally finishes extremely well. Is a very dangerous ODI bowler with his superb inswingers and he can more than hold a bat as well, and has taken part in some famous run chases for Bangladesh with excellent innings down the order.
Test: 1330 runs @ 16.42, 166 wickets @ 40.49
ODI: 982 runs @ 17.23, 142 wickets @ 32.46
10. Suhrawadi Shuvo
One of two main spinners for Bangladesh, he has been one of their best bowlers for many years after finding a spot in 2012. He has rarely been out of the team since then and his gentle slow left armers have picked up 788 first class wickets in his career. He is also a very capable batsman, with a Test high score of 44 and a ODI high score of 61*, and he is very similar in that regard to Sajidul Islam. He may not have too many more years in the team, but he has certainly served Bangladesh well.
Test: 937 runs @ 14.20, 180 wickets @ 36.38
ODI: 641 runs @ 17.32, 138 wickets @ 29.04
11. Dolar Mahmud
The number 11 position has gone to many different players over the years, with Dolar Mahmud becoming the latest to hold it down. Arafat Sunny and Al Kabir often held down this position, but Dolar Mahmud has finally taken it back after some impressive performances on the domestic scene. The left arm quick has had a superb impact on the ODI team, and is just one wicket short of taking his 100th ODI wicket. He hasn't quite been so successful in test matches, but he has never stopped trying and he is a very handy bowler when in form and now has taken the number 11 position over.
Test: 423 runs @ 16.27, 92 wickets @ 41.18
ODI: 269 runs @ 12.81, 99 wickets @ 26.73