Shakib arrived at the crease in the 12th over and scored 11 runs from seven balls, with Bangladesh needing 121 runs at 14.23 per over. He lamented the team’s lack of determination at the business end of the tournament, having posted subpar scores of 140 for 8 and 146 for 8 against Australia and India respectively. The continued poor form of Bangladesh’s top-order did not improve even on the Antigua pitch, which is easier to bat on than most surfaces in this tournament. Shakib said they could not even show any intention of chasing India’s 196 in this match.
“We had a 50 per cent win rate in this World Cup but if we had played against India and Australia like we played against South Africa, it could have been a good World Cup,” Shakib said. “We were lacking in runs as a batting unit. We scored 140 in the last game and today we scored 146. We should have done better today because we had a target. We couldn’t show people that we were trying (to chase the target). I think we lacked confidence. That’s what we lacked throughout the World Cup.
“Against teams like Australia and India, we have to be at our best. I think we lacked technique and power. We couldn’t get the basics down for long enough to apply pressure. I think throughout this World Cup, we have not proven ourselves as a batting unit. We can score big scores. We have been way below our averages in the last two games – 175-185 – and both of those came on good wickets. India may have scored 20 more today, but we have to show intent from the start of the innings. I don’t think it was there.”
ESPNcricinfo pundit Tamim said after the match that Bangladesh’s lack of intent with the bat surprised him against India. “(Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto) said they should have finished the game but Bangladesh never came close in this game. I don’t understand why he said that. Bangladesh’s batting has been disappointing throughout this tournament. The think tank really needs to think about what to do going forward.
“When the batsmen are scoring runs, you are confident that your batting line-up can chase a total like 160 or 170. When you know your batting is struggling, it was surprising that (Bangladesh) decided to bowl first. Some of their decisions in this match surprised me. Fingers will be pointed at them.”
Tamim added that he was surprised by the Bangladesh team management’s decision to drop Taskin Ahmed and bring in Zakher Ali as an extra batsman for the match against India. Taskin had scored a few runs against Australia, but he is the team’s vice-captain and is seen by some as the leader of the bowling attack.
“I was really surprised why Taskin wasn’t played. Both the spinners were giving a lot of runs. There was a time when India were struggling a bit after losing successive wickets to Tanzim (Hasan Sakib). If Taskin had been there as an extra fast bowler, Bangladesh could have attacked India more. We know Shivam Dube’s weakness with the short ball. Taskin had the pace to use that tactic against him.”
Tamim also felt that not giving the new ball to Mustafizur Rahman was a missed opportunity to address Rohit Sharma’s weakness against left-arm pace, while Tanzeem felt the new ball could have been continued as it had handled the ball well in previous matches.
“Everyone is talking about Rohit Sharma being a little weak against left-handed fast bowling. That affects the player’s mind when he faces similar bowlers in a match. Bangladesh had a chance to start with a left-handed seamer. Just to see. India may have scored 196, but Rohit’s start was very important for India. That’s how they got the momentum.
“Tanjim did well with the new ball in the previous game. He didn’t get the new ball today. Why change the whole setup for someone else? Even when someone is doing exceptionally well?”
The removal of Taskin was primarily intended to strengthen a batting line-up that has been struggling for a long time, but since arriving in North America last month, the top order has succumbed to most bowling attacks. Shakib said Bangladesh have a general tendency to perform better on tricky wickets than on good ones.
“We don’t do well on flat wickets that give 180-200 runs,” Shakib said. “We play better on wickets that give 130-150 runs. That’s what we are used to. Barring one game in the BPL this year, our local batsmen haven’t really chased big scores. That’s still our weakness.”
Tamim further explained that Bangladesh batsmen have not been accustomed to good batting wickets for many years. He said that since they play on slow and low surfaces back home where they play their cricket, when they come across good surfaces in ICC tournaments, they get caught up and don’t know what to do.
“Bangladesh (usually) play on wickets that are difficult for batsmen. Also, when you get on a very good wicket, you can’t start scoring freely. You have to know how to score on a good wicket. You have to know the limits of what shots to play. I think Bangladesh have to have a long-term plan to play on a good wicket. They don’t get that in Mirpur.”
Tamim said even their main T20 tournament, the Bangladesh Premier League, failed to produce interesting cricket due to the nature of the country’s stadiums. He said the winning-first nature of Bangladesh cricket (at home) left batsmen in trouble.
He suggested that it would help if batsmen were more patient with better pitches, so that they could improve their skills and bowlers could learn how to bowl on good batting surfaces.
“BPL is a fantastic tournament but we haven’t been able to get wickets that can thrill the crowd. The scores have been higher in the last two years. Teams are chasing 170-180 but we are too focused on results in Bangladesh. If you have a very good wicket in the first game, the moment you lose that game, people try to make the track spin-friendly. I think the board as well as the players and coaches need to get out of that mindset. Let it go for another six months. But let’s prepare wickets where the bowlers and batsmen can learn. I think that’s the only way Bangladesh cricket can move forward.”
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
