[Raynman]

With Sylhet now mathematically eliminated from the tournament, here is a review of the team so far. Things may change in the last 3 games but at this point anything noteworthy will be meaningless due to lack of pressure involved. So I think this review is timely and can be considered their season ending review.

Record:
0-7 / 6th position

Captaincy:

Kapali refused the captaincy initially and Trego volunteered. Trego, though performing better than most on this team, overused himself inappropriately in both batting and bowling and eventually faced the axe not only as the captain but player as well after losing the first half of their matches. Kapali took over for one match to only watch his contribution disappear and the following game introduced Imrul Kayes as the next to lead the team to yet another defeat.

Team Stats:

- Posted lowest total to date at 120/7 vs. Barisal
- Broke 150 four out of seven tries
- Max of 169/8 vs. Khulna
- Were all out once at 124 vs. Dhaka.
- Closest defeat : 2 runs vs. Khulna chasing 171
- Largest defeat : 10 wickets to Barisal in tournament opener
- 6 50’s limited to 3 batsmen

Batting:

(note: assuming 150 to be a benchmark team total, 125 SR would be the corresponding benchmark)

- K. Akmal is the only noteworthy batsman with 226 runs in 7 innings at a 144.87 rate
- Kapali is only other batsman with 125+ SR with 118 runs in 6 innings at 129.67 (excluding Maynard and Noor Hossain due to playing only 1 innings and facing less than 10 balls each)
- Trego has 196 runs at 107.1 SR. This was a big issue for Sylhet as he faced more balls than anyone else (183 balls. 2nd was Akmal with 156)
- Imrul Kayes is the only other batsman to cross 100 runs (102 at 114.6)
- Surprises were the lack of use of Styris (only 4 matches despite being a handy all rounder) and playing Hom and Naeem down the order with no one but Akmal being able to justify their position up the order
- 6’s : Akmal 9, Kayes 7, Styris/Kapali 5

Bowling:

(note : Using 150 benchmark, 7.5 is the economy marker between good and bad)

- Only S. Tanvir (6.45) and B. Hogg (6.76) managed to keep their economy rate decent. Nabil Samad at 7.59 is on the borderline.
- S. Tanvir is also leading wicket taker with 6 followed by Trego at 5
- Trego bowled 17.2 overs (Only regulars Tanvir (22), Hogg (26) and Samad (22) bowled more).
- Next used bowler was Kapal (a total of 5 overs)!!!
- Rubel played only one match (injury) and bowling skills of Naeem and Styris were practically not used at all
- Kapali’s 3/27 vs. Rajshahi is the best figures by a bowler
- Concerns : Kapali’s figures in that match came at a 13.5 economy rate and Trego’s 17.2 overs went at 10.5 an over


International vs. Domestic:

- Failures all around with Akmal being the only exception
- Nabil Samad was the only Bangladeshi bowler really given a go with the ball
- Trego makes his presence in stats but his SR and economy rates were more detrimental than a bright spot
- Kapali had some moments but nothing to write home about

Overall, I think the team could have done better with the talent they had. Leadership was lacking and a major concern. Naeem should have been tried higher up the order and bowled more. Playing Styris in only 4 matches demonstrated poor selection. Rubel played only one match and his presence may have helped in the bowling side but that may have removed Samad from the picture who didn’t do so bad. Kayes and Kapali both demonstrated hitting abilities but failed to make them last or count.

It’s a shame for any team in the BPL to be out of the Semi Final running this early given there are only 6 teams. Team management will need to rethink team composition and look into picking more productive international players. This is a team that could have benefitted from the services of Nannes who went unsold in the auction. Captaincy is also something that needs to be looked into.

The record does not befit the team as it exists on paper. They started the tournament with a promising total to defend but were destroyed by a Chris Gayle onslaught and never recovered. The team in a way resembled everything that is wrong with the national team today (Bad shot selection, performance by only one or two players per game, individual stat padding, lack of planning etc) and with national coach Law at the helm of this team, this could be a concerning matter for Bangladesh Cricket.