An Uber Critical Look at the Bangladesh Cricket Team

[RazabQ]

1. We lost against India because of gutless/sissy batting. Same against the Lankans.
2. We are yet again a Plate player on the U-19 because of gutless batting
3. Our bowling attack, after all this years still does not contain a single genuine match-winner
4. Our fielding/game strategy lacks imagination and a desire to attack

Harsh sentiments? Hardly - if you'll let me explain:

Overall strategy/Gutlessness
How many tournaments have we now missed out on because we played safe against the Papua New Guineas and Irelands of the world rather than being wise to the NRR and making sure we were ahead? 4 by my count (3 U-19 and the last WC)

Thoughtless/gutless Batting
A good side doesn't blame misfortune for a loss. When a set batsman who needs 3 runs for a win gets a full toss and doesn't connect (Anamul against Lanka in the 1st T20) and follows that with an inability to deal with a full toss from an irregular off-spinner - to me that is a SKILLS issue. Anamul clearly struggles to hit full tosses that are aimed at him - this is a fixable issue. I'd love to know how many such deliveries has Anamul requested from the bowling machine since that first T20

Similarly, with India's track record while chasing known to all, it would have an explicit goal of the team to set them a 320+ target (if you think I'm engaging in revisionism go check my FB update right after we posted 279; I said we were 40 short). So you need to set a 320 target and two of your most explosive players (Shak, TiK) are not available due to injury or suspension and the next most explosive guy is going through a patch of bad form (Nasir). Where was the team rejigging to account for this? Where was the cover? Why wasn't a Shabbir brought in for options.

Then when Anamul gets out in the PowerPlays we send in Naeem. I know exactly what management was thinking. If we go helter skelter, we'll have a collapse and then we won't bat out 50 overs. Sissy thinking of the highest order. We could have easily sent Zia, told him to go for broke and then if he had gotten out, sent in Naeem to consolidate. Our batters do not have the pure power to hit sixes. There were at least 5-6 good shots that Zia and Mushy played during the slog overs, which if there hadn't been protection/boundary riders we would have gotten 10-15 more runs that way. So our consistent inability to maximize the PowerPlays is almost criminal.

On-field Strategy
Next comes bowler rotations. Just looking at the most recent match, someone on another thread has already mentioned the faulty thought process behind taking Zia off when Kohli came in - fearing the reputation and not respecting the match situation. Zia might be slow but he's the only pacer we have who is a hit the deck kinda guy (given his build) and we already saw earlier how this pitch was conducive to back-of-length hit the deck deliveries, especially when the ball is newish. Kohli like any batter needs a few moments to start but his ego (which led him to conceding 2 overthrows) might have led to him taking undue liberties with Zia and us getting him cheaply. But no - gutlessness prevailed over attack-mindedness.

Overall sissy bowling
As for our overall bowling, it hurts me that after all these years of playing cricket, we still don't have a match winning bowler. People will point to Shakib and say - see there we have a match winner. Not really. Shakib and Rafique (his predecessor), are really good spinners who have been forced to play the lead attack roles even though
a) neither are big turners of the ball - which in turn means that on docile shirt-fronts they are as potent as an eunuch
b) they don't have a lot of mystery or variety other than their arm ball (which Rafique was over using by the end of his career
c) they don't have complete mastery of flight. Vettori - before his recent fading away, didn't have a or b but his mastery of flight was a thing to see
d) Shakib no longer has the metronomic accuracy ala a Jadeja. Rafique to his credit was on the spot to his last match.
None of our pacers are worth much - they would struggle to break into a Ranji side, never mind a County 2nd XI. They are not big on swing or seam. They don't have express pace. And they are NOT accurate enough. So basically, unless it is a very slow/low track, our bowling attack does not scare anyone in the world. And I include Afghanistan and Ireland in that list of teams who reckon they can handle their bidiness against our attack.

Fielding
Now we come to fielding. We still drop way too many catches and because we don't have bowlers who consistently create chances our close catching is very ad hoc. Most decent teams have a designated set of slippers, 1-2 cat-quick cover/point guys, a couple of strong armed, fast boundary riders, and otherwise competent fielders. In our side, Nasir is the closest thing we have to a point-specialist but lately he's been dropping his share. Shak and Tik and Mash have let their bhuris take away from their fielding. And other than Rubel and TiK, not a single strong-armed thrower from the deep.

Conclusion
Layer on top of that an administration who only saves face because the Zimbabwe and Pakistan cricket administration is even more abysmal, and it's a minor miracle that we have won the few matches we have.

Not for nothing we are labeled as minnows.

[Vua]

I disagree with 1. BD scoring 300 or close to 300 is an achievement in any match we play.
I do agree that we do not have any strike bowlers. Nazmul seems like the perfect person for this. The old Mashrafe was pretty good at this.

[al Furqaan]

Excellent thread and excellent analysis. As Sohel says, "organic" growth and development is carrying us forward, and for that we can only thank our 160 million strong population, which will occaisionally give you a Mushfiq, Mominul, Nasir, Tamim and Shakib.

I'll post more extensive thoughts in a bit.

[SS]

I nominate this for front page article though I will be hated but it's fact.

[Tiger444]

Good post as always Razab bhai. Hearing your knowledge of the game makes me realize how much of a novice I am when it comes down to knowing the game of cricket and you were once again bang on with your points.

Until we can become a team that can win Tests regularly, we'll continue to see what we're seeing. You ask what does a good Test team have to do with being a good ODI and T20I side? Winning Test matches requires good sensible batting, bowlers who can attack, sharp fielding and smart captaincy and for 5 full days. Unfortunately, as Razab bhai said here, we don't do any of this and that's where we lack behind the other Test nations and it carries over to ODIs and T20Is, it may not be as bad due to the fact that these are shorter formats but the problems are still there.

Again it points back to the fact that our FC structure needs to be looked at again. We're just not producing Test quality players. You look at the strongest Test sides, they have the best domestic leagues. Not hard to figure that out. Until we can make a total revamp on our domestic system, we'll continue to see slow progress. Sohel bhai I remember talked about how DPL is the best domestic tournament in the country. That's the big problem. Every other country, the FC tournaments are the biggest in the country.

Short term solution could be to sending the likes of Shakib, Tamim and Mushy to County cricket. A few seasons there could go a long way for them.

[Ajfar]

I don't think we have to look very far to realize that our how horrible our team management is. A. Sunny was clearly the pick of the bowlers from the SL series (T20, ODI). Gazi has been struggling for quite a while now, why would we not include Sunny ahead of Gazi? Before Gazi played for BD, we are used to playing multiple left handed spinner. Now that all of a sudden we have a right handed off spinner, we always have to stick to that plan? I don't think if Sunny played would have made a difference, but if we are failing to make these simples decisions how are we going to solve the bigger problems?

Our team management never seems to think outside the box. It's always the same usual plan, whether it's batting or bowling. We have a batting line up and we are going to stick to it no matter what the situation is. If this is our approach, than why bother including someone like Zia in the team. I thought the whole point behind his inclusion was because of his big hitting capabilities. Why would we not send him to take advantage of the batting power play? I think the last time we changed our batting order around was during the 2012 win against India, Nasir came into bat ahead of Mushy and put together that quick partnership with Shakib that kicked off our chase. That made perfect sense, because Nasir was in great form at that time. It just seems like we confine ourselves with these basic plans, and we stick to it whether it's working or not. As if, it's a crime to do something different.

[Navo]

Don't agree with Mash's bhuri anymore. Isam reports that he's lost 15 kilos and he certainly looks it; gaunt even.

[godzilla]

I do have to comment about the fielding. When we played against srilanka we had 3 wicket keepers in the team and yet we would see mulla (this dude drops atleast 1 catch/match) or shakib or co field at slip. That to me is mind boggling. If you have 3 keepers playing in one match, hell put one on the slip if you need a fielder there instead of at long on or what not.

[RazabQ]

Navo - fine for Mash's bhuri, substitute dodgy knees. Same difference. He cannot move. Vua Bhai - if India had batted first on that wicket, they would have scored 350. Guaranteed. If we are going to be happy with scoring 300 occasionally than might as well play kut kut with Burkina Faso and Lichtenstein. Now did you really just suggest Nazmul (w/o injuries) would have been a candidate for strike-bowler? A 5-9, skinny dude, who bowled at military medium in his best days and had a modicum of seam movement and accuracy as his only ally? Maybe you are thinking of a different bowler?

Ajfar, good point about A. Sunny. Our team management seems to get their strategies from 1920s cricket textbooks.

Tiger444 - excellent point about rigor in FC as being the feeder of T20/ODI squad. In general your statement will hold true. I will point out the caveat that Engerland has one of the best 1st class cricket infrastructure and yet until a now-discarder Saffer played the tournament of his life (20/20 in the Caribbean), they hadn't done anything in limited overs format. Why, because while their players have the skills in general their limited over sides have lacked ambition.

Godzilla - keepers don't always make good slippers. Actually if you think about it, neither AB, or Sanga, when they play as regular outfielders, stand in slips. As a keeper you will actually instinctively go for stuff that interferes with the actual keeper that day.

SS - Gopal Jodi 1st edit kore, sure article banana jay

[Jadukor]

this needs to be published in the news paper and faxed to BCB

[mufi_02]

Razab bhai, Apnar boyosh koto? Apni kotodin dhore cricket khelen? (joking btw)

But seriously it's a great analysis. I would add more later. In brief two things comes up

- Jadeja isn't a spinner and that's why he is accurate. He constantly bowled at 95 KMPH with no flights and darted the balls in. Kohli bowled with same speed and more air. So can't compare Shakib and Jadeja
- I think Mash/Rubel are good enough for Ranji teams. Alamin bowled really well in dead CTG pitches but was unlucky. Varun Aaron is their Ranji superstar and we all saw how he bowled today.

[Tiger444]

Originally Posted by RazabQ
Navo - fine for Mash's bhuri, substitute dodgy knees. Same difference. He cannot move. Vua Bhai - if India had batted first on that wicket, they would have scored 350. Guaranteed. If we are going to be happy with scoring 300 occasionally than might as well play kut kut with Burkina Faso and Lichtenstein. Now did you really just suggest Nazmul (w/o injuries) would have been a candidate for strike-bowler? A 5-9, skinny dude, who bowled at military medium in his best days and had a modicum of seam movement and accuracy as his only ally? Maybe you are thinking of a different bowler?

Ajfar, good point about A. Sunny. Our team management seems to get their strategies from 1920s cricket textbooks.

Tiger444 - excellent point about rigor in FC as being the feeder of T20/ODI squad. In general your statement will hold true. I will point out the caveat that Engerland has one of the best 1st class cricket infrastructure and yet until a now-discarder Saffer played the tournament of his life (20/20 in the Caribbean), they hadn't done anything in limited overs format. Why, because while their players have the skills in general their limited over sides have lacked ambition.

Godzilla - keepers don't always make good slippers. Actually if you think about it, neither AB, or Sanga, when they play as regular outfielders, stand in slips. As a keeper you will actually instinctively go for stuff that interferes with the actual keeper that day.

SS - Gopal Jodi 1st edit kore, sure article banana jay

Yes England has struggled in the shorter formats because they're too strict in their approach which is why Australia will always remain the better shorter format side.

The point of a strong domestic setup is to prepare players for the highest level. Shakib said playing county matches feels like playing Test matches. Enamul JR said Ranji matches also felt like Test matches. Could we say the same about our NCL? Or to a lesser extent the DPL?

Since these competitions let you get away with bad habits, and you can see why our players don't play as smart as other teams because these competitions really fail to expose their weaknesses.

[RazabQ]

Mufi, been playing seriously (kather ball) since 1989 to present. Watching, reading and analyzing since 1987. As for Sirji, he's quick through the air no doubt but an expert no less than Shane Warne has rated his ability to give the ball a rip.

[Zunaid]

Razab - that question about your age and cricketing experience was a joke aimed at one of our netizens who shall most likely show up here

[RazabQ]

Jani, but could not resist the opportunity for murubbiana 😁

[RazabQ]

Tiger44 - excellent point re competitiveness in FC forcing the learning of good habits.

[Moh899]

think its time to get deshi coaches. they wont do as bad. rafiq as spin bowling coach.

[RazabQ]

Moh899 - how would deshi coaches address the issues I raise?

[Zunaid]

And deshi coaches are even more vulnerable to influence from the top.

[Maysun]

This is where captains can make a huge difference. Either you are just another one or you are embedded deep into the books of cricket history.

Agreed, other factors like FC structure, management etc can majorly influence the points listed but a captain who has sold his soul and committed his lifetime to cricket, can make an ordinary team look great. It's all about the team and dressing room culture.

We should have a captain who is ruthless and demands sweat & blood from the players assigned, himself and the management included. We need a captain who is a harsh critic and demands the utmost dedication. Such a person can inspire generations and unfold the potential that seems to be trapped behind all the filth.

[Maysun]

If Imran Khan was the captain of this side, half the team would not be featuring anymore.

[RazabQ]

Maysun, Imran had, at various points, himself, Akram, Waqar and Aquib and Quadir/Mushy to call upon. We just don't have match-winning bowlers. Australia without Johnson and the Ashes might have been competitive. Sri Lanka without Murali - just a slightly more accomplished New Zealand.

[Sohel]

The best, most accurate analysis of the state of our cricket from the sharpest cricket mind in BC. Agree with everything Razab posted.

[G-man]

some of the points are good, but to blame anamul for not putting away a full toss too harsh. One can't just thrash every toss they get. Have you ever tried to do so?

[betaar]

Originally Posted by RazabQ
been playing seriously (kather ball) since 1989 to present. Watching, reading and analyzing since 1987.

Weird.....are you me?

I started watching from '87, started playing hardball cricket and Nirman school since '89 and still playing hard ball till this day (cricket is my summer fling, can't live without it).