Familiar batting malfunction headlines Bangladesh's tournament of disappointment - again!
Just like after every tournament, the crazy and cheerful Bangladesh fans will have to wait a little longer to see their country stake a strong claim to win an ICC event. Coming into the 2024 T20 World Cup with a series loss against the United States, Bangladesh managed to seal a spot in the Super Eight with three victories in four group games.
However, the first game of the Super Eight stage saw them lose by 28 runs against Australia. Their performances regressed as India prevailed by 50 runs over them in the following game.
However, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side still had the mathematical chance to seal the semifinal spot against Afghanistan. They bowled well to restrict the opposition to 115 and had to chase down the target in 12.1 overs to qualify for the last four.
But, they never really went for it. The batting unit's confidence was shattered with failures in earlier games as they kept losing wickets on a consistent basis. As a result, the Tigers were bundled out for 105 and signed off from the tournament with an eight-run loss (revised DLS target of 114 in 19 overs) and a 0-3 record in the Super Eight.
Although the Bangladesh bowlers were splendid throughout the tournament, the batters lacked a positive intent and the hunger to win the games for the side.
Bowlers kept batters' inconsistency under wraps to avoid early exit
In their first game of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh confined Sri Lanka to a paltry total of 124, with Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain accounting for three wickets each.
Rather than opting for a balanced approach, veteran Soumya Sarkar and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto played uppish shots and holed out near the 30-yard circle. Although the contributions of Litton Das (36) and Towhid Hridoy (40) helped them win the game, they had a lesson to learn.
In their next game, Tanzim Hasan Sakib (3/18) and Taskin Ahmed (2/19) blew away the top and middle-order of South Africa to restrict them to just 113.
However, rash batting approach followed as Tanzid Hasan and Litton gave their wickets away. Then, Anrich Nortje was precise with his short-ball tactics and pace to secure breakthroughs of Shakib Al Hasan and Shanto, as they were caught at mid-wicket.
Although Hridoy (37) did well to play a counter-attacking game to bring back the team's momentum, his dismissal was a turning point in the game. Bangladesh still needed 20 off the final three overs, with five wickets in hand.
Fast forward, with six required off the last two balls, it was a perfect moment for veteran batter Mahmdullah (20) to shine on the global stage. However, it was not to be as he failed to clear the straight boundary off a full toss and was caught by Aiden Markram. As a result, the Tigers lost by four runs.
The next game against the Netherlands saw Shakib lead from the front to score 64 off 46 as they posted 159 on the board. Then, Hossain, with his spin, finished with 3/33 to secure a 25-run victory for the side and remain in the hunt for a Super Eight spot. With this effort, it surely looked as though the batters would have their confidence back ahead of their clash against Nepal.
However, the right-arm pacer Sompal Kami used Bangladesh's glaring short-ball deficiency to good effect, as he dismissed Tanzid and Litton in the powerplay overs. Devoid of a good start and lack of confidence, Bangladesh were all-out for 106. But, the opening burst of Sakib saw him finish with figures of 4/7 off four overs, which helped the team to win by 21 runs and progress to the Super Eight.
Batting unit lacks intent as Bangladesh remain winless in Super 8
The first Super Eight clash of Bangladesh took place against Australia at Antigua, which saw South Africa and the USA slamming 170+ runs each in the previous game.
Although Bangladesh got back on track after losing Tanzid Hasan early, the habit of breaking free carelessly after some quiet overs hurt the team's chances. Litton Das (41) and Rishad Hossain (2) departed in quick succession, while questionable shot selection from skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (41) and Shakib Al Hasan (8) pegged them back.
Towhid Hridoy (40) again helped the team to recover and reach 140/8 in 20 overs. In response, Australia hammered their bowlers, scoring 100 runs in 11.2 overs, before incessant rain resulted in them winning by 28 runs (DLS).
In the game against India, the bowling unit failed to put brakes on the opposition as they scored 196 on a flat surface. In response, the intent to win the game was lacking from the batting department, as they were restricted to 146/8 and lost by 50 runs.
In their last Super Eight clash against Afghanistan, no one expected something special from Bangladesh. However, the bowling unit led by Hossain (3/26) reigned supreme to keep Afghanistan to 115/5.
The initial few overs saw Bangladesh opt for a positive approach to chase down 116 in 12.1 overs to seal the semifinal spot. However, as they say, one brings two, and the dismissal of Tanzid by Fazalhaq Farooqi led to Naveen-ul-Haq taking back-to-back wickets of Shanto and Shakib. The dismissal of key batters put Litton's aggressive approach on the back burner.
Introducing himself in the seventh over, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan cleaned up Soumya Sarkar, who was looking to up the ante. Then, his next over witnessed Hridoy taking unnecessary risks and getting caught at deep mid-wicket.
Although, Litton played a valiant knock of 54* off 49, none of the other batters could cope with the pressure of the energized Afghanistan side and fell short by eight runs.
Certainly, Bangladesh fans will want a more expressive and improved performance when the side participate in their next ICC event.