Consistency, control and execution are more important: Walsh

Batting once again let Bangladesh down during their 35-run defeat against West Indies in the second of their three-match T20I series in Dominica on Sunday.

Bangladesh were in all sorts of trouble right from the start of a 194-run chase as the Tigers were reduced to 23 for three after Anamul Haque (3), Liton Das (5) and captain Mahmudullah Riyad (11) departed for cheap scores.

The visitors managed to reach 44 for three during the powerplay. But according to skipper Mahmudullah, it was far from what Bangladesh needed while in chase of such a challenging total.

"When you chase a target of over 190 runs, it is very important to have a good start. You must score 50-60 runs in the first powerplay and only then you will remain in the game. We lost three wickets in the first six overs and added 44 runs. I think that's where we fell behind in the chase," Mahmudullah told the media after the game.

For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan was the lone warrior, smashing an unbeaten 68 off 52 deliveries with five fours and three sixes as he added 55 runs with Afif Hossain for the fourth wicket to help the Tigers avoid a humiliating defeat.

According to Mahmudullah, the Tigers would need to play as a unit in order to improve their fortune in the shortest format of the game.

"The type of T20 team we are, I think we need to play as a unit. We need to fill up those small areas and contribute accordingly. And only then can we perform well as a team. So far, I realised that this [playing as a unit] is our strength because whenever we play as a unit,  whether it's the first game of the series or the second, we remain charged up and gain momentum in the series.

"However, at times, we don't get good starts. I am not saying that we can't overcome such a situation but if we start well, it gives us the advantage and that is something we have been struggling with in the last few games," he said.
 

Following defeat one after another across the formats, the confidence levels of the Bangladesh cricket team approach a nadir ahead of the third and final game of the T20I series against the West Indies in Guyana tonight.

Questions regarding the approach from the cricketers have been persistent regardless of whether it is in Tests or in the shortest format of the game. It seems that the Tigers are onboard a ship without a radar, unaware of their destination much less how to get there.

Bangladesh's batting was the biggest concern in the first two T20Is as the Tigers lost early wickets and were unable to utilise the Powerplay.

Prominent coach Mohammad Salahuddin believes it will be important for the Tigers to come up with a better approach in the opening position. He also believed they needed to utilise the last five overs to put up a fight.

"We all know what we are lacking. We have a big gap in the opening slot and we have very few players who can finish the game with the bat in the latter stages of an innings. These two areas are very important in the T20 format and I think the players need to improve their skills and undergo proper training. But other than that I don't see any solution at the moment," Salahuddin told The Daily Star yesterday.

"I think very few in the team have the ability to use the first Powerplay to dominate opposing bowers. So I think it will be better if they can improve their skills. I think, since we have experienced players in the middle, they can lay the platform for the last five overs."

Bangladesh fielded three seamers in the second T20I, dropping left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. But Salahuddin felt it would be better if the Tigers used two spinners and two left-arm spinners in the third game.

"I think there is very little chances of us winning against the West Indies through our pace attack. Given our strengths, I think it would be better if we played with an extra left-arm spinner. You can't undo them by bowling 140kmph unless the bowlers have skills and variations. So it's better if we play with an extra spinner since we may be able to trouble them more," he said.

All eyes will be on skipper Mahmudullah Riyad after the previous T20 World Cup campaign ended in disaster last year, prompting lingering questions about his leadership qualities and whether he can come up with the aggressive attitude required from a captain, especially in the shortest format.

"If we follow the pattern of captaincy, we have to understand that what we do at home won't work abroad. At times you need to think outside the box. I think it is because of the mentality we have in our domestic cricket and I think we need come out of it," Salahuddin added.

According to Shakib Al Hasan's mentor, only time can change the Tigers' T20 fortunes and he advised against frequently chopping and changing the team.

"You have to work with the resources you have because there aren't other options. How long will you keep changing the team? If you make so many changes, the players get confused and the team also loses confidence. You can fail initially, but you have to place trust in them," he said.

• In the six Tests played in their last three series,  Bangladesh had seen a total of 33 unsuccessful reviews. 
• During the same period, the Tigers were only able to take 17 successful reviews. 
• However, not all the unsuccessful reviews were due to a bad call from the Tigers' camp as a number of decisions were turned down on umpire's call.

Technological advancement has aided all forms of sports worldwide. While the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) has seen the rate of errors made in matches drop down significantly and also provided a clarity to players and viewers alike, its effectiveness still depends highly on the refined decision-making from the cricketers out on the field.

And in modern cricket, the three DRS calls allocated in Test cricket to each of the teams go a long way in almost determining the outcome of a game.

Apart from the usual cricketing issues, the one other thing that Bangladesh have struggled with in recent times, especially in Tests, is their inability to make proper use of the DRS.

To put things into perspective, Bangladesh have seen a total of 10 unsuccessful reviews in their recent-most two-Test series against Sri Lanka while getting only six reviews upheld successfully. In the series before that, away to South Africa, Bangladesh saw a total of 12 unsuccessful reviews against six successful ones in the two-match Test series.

Even in the preceding away Test series against New Zealand in January this year, Bangladesh had 11 reviews turned down while seeing only five reviews being successful. Interestingly, it was in the first Test in Mount Maunganui in which the Tigers clinched a historic eight-wicket victory that they saw a total of eight reviews turned down.

But it is true that only the numbers don't accurately reflect the review taking precision of a side as not all the unsuccessful reviews were due to a bad call from the Tigers' camp with a number of decisions turned down on umpire's call. Then again, even considering that the numbers aren't a true reflection of Bangladesh's ability to make the right call in going upstairs at opportune moments, a total of 33 unsuccessful reviews against 17 successful ones in last six Tests certainly do not bode well for the Tigers.

In fact, there were instances of woeful and, at times, hilarious DRS calls made by Bangladesh. The most glaring blunder made by Mominul Haque's side was probably the one made against the Kiwis during their historic Test win.

In the 37th over of New Zealand's second innings, a loud appeal from bowler Taskin Ahmed and the fielders were made for an LBW against right-hander Ross Taylor. Even though the umpire had turned it down immediately, Mominul went on to review it with seconds left on the timer only to be embarrassed by the review shown on the big screen. Not only did the ball have any connection with the pad, it was defended with the middle of the bat by the Kiwi batter, which only brought to ears a muffled laughter from the commentary box.

During the first Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram last month, Bangladesh lost two of their reviews inside the first session of the game.

Not only that Bangladesh regretted taking ill-timed reviews in recent past, there have also been handful of instances when the situation was the other way around. Such was the case in the second Test against South Africa when Mominul decided not to review after umpire had turned down a solid LBW appeal from pacer Khaled Ahmed against Sarel Erwee – who was batting only on 4 at that time.

It is true that the skipper only gets a few seconds before making a DRS call and has to rely heavily on the body language of his troops, still the Tigers, as a team, ought to follow a more judicious approach in making such calls.

With the Mominul-era concluded, it will be interesting to see how Bangladesh do in regards to their DRS calls in the upcoming Test series against the West Indies under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan, considered one of the 'best thinkers' of the game.

The scenic beauty of the Caribbean islands hardly ever fails to catch the attention of any ardent cricket fan as they engrossingly move with the camera during any cricket match played there.

Antigua is no exception. Especially when international matches are played at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG), the characteristic festive atmosphere, groovy percussion and trumpet typically follow a boundary shot or the fall of a wicket.

Natural beauty of Antigua in the Caribbean. Photo: Twitter

And with Antigua, the first cricketer's name that comes to anyone's mind is none other than the famous son of the island—Sir Viv Richards, who marked the ARG's inauguration as cricket's 52nd venue with a hundred against England in 1980-81.

A new venue was built in time for the 2007 World Cup to replace the popular one and was named after game's legend Vivian Richards.

Sir Vivian Richards. Photo: Twitter

However, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium hardly matches the glamour of the Antigua's best cricketing son as it has had problems from the start. Serious issues surfaced surrounding access to the ground even when crowds are small - and the reluctance of the local population to embrace the more remote new ground meant attendances have been poor.

There had been many questions over the outfield and despite being re-laid after the 2008 Australia Test, the 2009 Test against England was abandoned after 10 balls because of the sandy and dangerous state of the bowlers' run-ups.

Groundsmen on duty after the play was abandoned. Photo: Collected

Thus, a venue named after a most lovable cricketer became an unloved venue.

There have been 11 Tests played so far and Bangladesh is going to play the 12th Test match at this venue from June 16 under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan.

In terms of winning record, the home side won the most games (three out of 11) and India is behind with two wins.

The Tigers though, will only try to rewrite the history as their only Test at this venue back in 2018 brings back memories of their worst batting debacle. In that Test, Liton Das, the current vice-captain of the Test team, remained the only Bangladesh batter to have managed a double digit (25) in their 43-run first innings.

The Shakib-led side in that Test were later bundled out for 144 runs in their second innings to suffer an innings and 219-run defeat.

Can the Tigers pull off a famous result in their second Test at this infamous venue?

Some stats of this venue:

Highest Team Innings: India's 566/8 declared during 2016-2017 tour.

Lowest Team Innings: Bangladesh's 43 all out during 2018-2019 tour.

Highest Individual Innings: Virat Kohli's 200 during 2016-2017 tour.

Best Bowling (Innings) : Ravichandran Ashwin's 7-83 during 2016-2017 tour.

Best Bowling (Match): Ishant Sharma's 8-74 during the 2019-2020 tour.

The 2023 ODI World Cup ended three months ago, with Bangladesh suffering their worst outing in the event since 2003. It led to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) forming a three-member committee to assess the performances of the Tigers, but will the report see the light of the day?

The report was due in the latest board meeting, and it was said that it was submitted to the board. However, BCB directors have not seen it.

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"The report was supposed to be handed in but it didn't happen in the meeting. Perhaps it was handed in later by them [committee]," one director told The Daily Star on Tuesday.

The contents of the report had not been discussed, in fact not much altogether had been discussed regarding it as major decisions such as stadiums, captaincy, central contracts and selection panel was discussed on February 12th in the meeting.

"It was said [during meeting] that it [the report] will be discussed," the source added.

The report had, in fact, been submitted to the BCB president Nazmul Hassan, who had also claimed that it was his responsibility.

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"No there was no discussion. A report on the World Cup performance was submitted today and had been submitted to the board. But since the meeting was long, the whole report has been given to me to see it first. After I watched it, they have given some recommendations," Hassan had said after the board meeting.

"It won't take time and things will happen within the coming few days," he had added.

During that press conference, when asked whether the World Cup performance report was lowest amongst the priorities in the country's cricket, Nazmul denied the notion.

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"No, the matter is not like that. After the report was handed over, everyone said that it will have to be read. There are also recommendations that will have to be seen," the BCB boss, also the new Youth and Sports minister, had further informed.

"Since the report's responsibility was given to me and it was done today, it's difficult to make decisions while sitting here. So, it has to be read, understood and then discussed with everybody. Then we take the decision, whatever it is, according to recommendations."

Nine days have passed since the BCB meeting, and BCB directors know nothing of the report bar those in the special committee. It thus raises questions about what priority the report has, and if the contents are of any importance. Of course, whether it will see the light of day is something that can be argued as it slowly recedes from memory.