Is Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy failure a time of transition or a sign of more serious issues?

Bangladesh had great expectations going into the ICC Champions Trophy, but they only came home with one point thanks to an abandoned match against Pakistan.

Their results against New Zealand and India revealed their weaknesses on the international front, especially in the 50-over format, which was once thought to be their strong suit.

The senior duo of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim may be finishing their ICC event career with this tournament, but only time will tell what the future holds for them.

Without the services of experienced players Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh is definitely going through a transitional period. Throughout the tournament, their absence was felt more than anything else, but Bangladesh’s problems go deeper than that. Cricbuzz explores the main causes of their failure.

Balls of dots

Bangladesh’s inability to rotate the strike was their main batting weakness, as they amassed an incredible 340 dot balls in their opening two matches—159 against India and 181 against New Zealand. With dot balls in almost every over, Bangladesh found it difficult to gain momentum as other teams began the innings with a mindset of 300 or more.

Tanzid Tamim’s inability to grasp the chance

Tanzid was chosen over Litton Das by the Bangladesh selectors, but the decision was unsuccessful. He started both games but was unable to take use of the opportunity, scoring 25 against India and 24 against New Zealand. Such starts are turned into significant scores by big players, but the left-hander seemed to waste his opportunities because he was overconfident. Tanzid was given the responsibility of replacing the seasoned Tamim Iqbal, but his strategy begged the question of what kind of attitude he had; openers nowadays simply cannot afford to waste starts of 20 to 30 runs.

The inability of Mehidy Hasan to assume the primary position

In Shakib Al Hasan’s absence, Mehidy was supposed to take the lead with the bat and the ball, but he fell short. He struggled at No. 4, scoring only 5 and 13 runs, and was wicketless in both games. The off-spinner lacked penetration and might learn from Michael Bracewell of New Zealand, who in their crucial match destroyed Bangladesh’s batting order all by himself. It is now debatable if Mehidy should have been promoted to No. 4 because he appeared exposed to real fast bowlers.

Mustafizur Rahman’s ability to predict

Although Bangladesh’s pace attack has recently received recognition, Mustafizur Rahman’s wizardry is sadly missed. Choosing him over the highly effective Hasan Mahmud backfired since opponents appeared to be ready for his slower balls and cuts. Mustafizur must change to keep his spot in the ODI team given his decreased speed and lack of swing.

The poor performance of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur

Towhid Hridoy’s first ODI century, Najmul Hossain’s half-century, and Jaker Ali’s steady efforts were some highlights of Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy campaign, but they weren’t enough against more formidable opponents. Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur, Bangladesh’s senior combination, were particularly ineffective and damaged them at crucial times.

It remains to be seen if Bangladesh will advance in ODIs without these two veterans, but one thing is certain: they must resolve their problems. They risk slipping farther behind in international cricket if they don’t change their current mindset, which is preventing them from adjusting to the changing demands of the game.