Bangladesh at World Cup 1999

Bangladesh will make their World Cup debut in England this year. In 1979, Bangladesh played in their first ICC Trophy. That year, they finished 3rd in their group, behind Denmark and Canada. In 1982, Bangladesh reached the semi-finals, but got beaten by eventual Champions Zimbabwe. Eventually, they finished 4th, losing the 3rd place play-off to Papua New Guinea.

Bangladesh's 1986 campaign was disasterous, as they won only 2 of their six group matches. In 1990, they finished group champions in the first round, and then won a spot in the semi-finals by finishing runners-up in the second round. But once again, they were beaten in the semi-finals by Zimbabwe, who went on to win the trophy. In 1994, they reached the second round, but were eliminated when they finished 3rd in their group, behind Kenya and Netherlands.

In 1997, Bangladesh qualified for the World Cup by beating Scotland in the semi-final. They went on to beat Kenya in the final. This was the first time they had won the ICC Trophy. Since then Bangladesh (along with Kenya) has been given the official ODI status, and they are strong contenders for ICC full member status. Although realistic about their chances, the Bangladesh team hopes to put up a strong competition at World Cup 1999.