Bangladesh have lost their way in ODIs: 15 defeats in 19 away matches in two years
After the defeat to Zimbabwe, BCB president Tamim Iqbal walked out of Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium the night before last with a grim face. The president travelled abroad to watch the team play, sat with the players and talked to them — but the result remains the same, again and again. The way Bangladesh have lost their way in 50-over cricket is a major warning sign ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Looked at in the mirror of statistics, the picture is even more alarming. Of the 19 ODIs Bangladesh have played on foreign soil in the last two years, they have lost 15. One was washed out by rain, and they won only three. In the same period, Bangladesh have not won a single ODI series away from home.
That includes being whitewashed by evenly matched opponents Afghanistan and the West Indies. Bangladesh could not win the series against Zimbabwe last July either. Given this dismal ODI record, it is only natural for the country's cricket lovers to feel worried.
At one stage, even qualifying for the 2027 ODI World Cup had become difficult for Bangladesh. Fortunately, in the past year Bangladesh got the chance to play four consecutive ODI series at home. Winning all four series in familiar conditions, they held on to their place in the rankings and somehow secured qualification for the World Cup.
Interestingly, Mehidy Hasan Miraz — the captain under whom Bangladesh won four straight series and qualified for the World Cup — was removed soon after qualification was secured. The 2027 World Cup is still about a year away. Before that, the ongoing tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates is being treated as a preparatory series.
Bangladesh suffered a setback right at the start of that series, against Zimbabwe. In the first match of the tri-nation series, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by a big margin of 99 runs. Bangladesh's next match is against Afghanistan, on Wednesday. Whether Bangladesh will be able to play the final of the series at all is now the question.
The biggest question is: why is Bangladesh in such a miserable state in 50-over cricket, especially on foreign soil? Yet at one time this very 50-over format had become Bangladesh's 'favourite' through consistent success at home and abroad. Looking for the main reason, batting failure comes first.
In the latest match against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh collapsed with poor batting even after a good start. Even when they manage to post a total, Bangladesh are weaker still when chasing. In eight of their last 10 ODIs, the team has failed to chase down targets above 240.
The situation is so dire that Bangladesh cannot even bat the full 50 overs in ODIs. In their last six matches against the other two teams in the ongoing tri-nation series, they have not managed to bat 50 overs even once.
After the latest defeat to Zimbabwe, Bangladesh's acting captain Towhid Hridoy made a frank admission about the batting failure: 'Actually, we made some silly mistakes. Hopefully, we will be able to overcome these quickly.'
Zimbabwe have made a great start to the tri-nation series. After beating Bangladesh in the first match, their opponents in the second match today are Afghanistan. A win over the Afghans will confirm Zimbabwe's place in the final. Bangladesh, too, will be looking towards Zimbabwe in today's match — to keep their own final equation alive, they now need their rivals to win.
But the real question lies deeper. If 'silly' mistakes allow even Zimbabwe to pin them down, then the time has come to think about what awaits Bangladesh at the next World Cup in tough conditions like South Africa's, if the mistakes are repeated against England, New Zealand and South Africa.
