3 min readMar 10, 2026 03:22 PM IST
As Bangladesh gear up for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan, head coach Phil Simmons’ focus is on improving the team’s overall standard in limited-overs cricket, rather than worrying too much about direct qualification for the forthcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
“The ultimate aim is to improve our standard in ODI cricket rather than getting too caught up in qualification mathematics,” Simmons was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Bangladesh have lost four of their last five ODI series and will take on Pakistan in the first of three ODIs in Dhaka on Wednesday.
“The team may not currently have the same level of experience that was present when Bangladesh once reached the top of the ODI rankings, but our focus is on ensuring that the present group plays to the best of its ability,” Simmons told reporters ahead of their series opener at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday.
“The work we are doing now is aimed at helping the team climb up the rankings table. Our ambition is not only to remain within the top eight to secure automatic qualification, but also to keep moving upward by consistently playing better cricket. While the long-term objective is to reach a stronger position in the rankings before the qualification cut-off date, the immediate priority is to improve the quality of cricket we are playing,” he added.
To qualify automatically for the 2027 ODI World Cup, a team must be in the top eight in the ICC ODI rankings by the cut-off date of March 31, 2027. Bangladesh sit in 10th place with 74 rating points, just behind West Indies, who have 77 points as of current standings. With Zimbabwe already assured of a place as co-hosts in the 14-team tournament, Bangladesh are effectively in 11th position in the race for direct qualification and must climb to at least ninth place before the cut-off date to avoid the qualifiers.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 11th hour in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2026 by the ICC after the Tigers refused to play their World Cup matches in India, citing security reasons. Simmons said that his side is getting past the disappointment of not participating in the T20 World Cup.
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“I think we are at that stage now where we’re getting past that. It was very hurtful for the guys and I’m talking to them and it was very, very hurtful. But I think we’re getting to the stage, and I think the BCL helped with that little tournament, so we started to get back into the frame of playing 50-over cricket and thinking about these three matches here. So, I think we’re getting there,” he added.
