Wounded Tigers back home

Grim-faced Bangladesh cricketers file into the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early yesterday on their return from their ill-fated Zimbabwe tour.Photo: STAR

The Bangladesh cricket team returned home yesterday after a disastrous tour of Zimbabwe where they lost both the one-off Test and the three-match one-day series.
Shakib Al Hasan's men went to the Southern African country as favourites to win but came back with only two consolation victories in the last two one-day internationals in Bulawayo.
The Tigers were outclassed by a new-look Zimbabwe which made a memorable return to Test cricket after a six-year break, an outcome that not only shocked the cricket lovers of the country but also one that was termed as the biggest disaster for Bangladesh cricket
The dejected cricketers had a bitter experience upon arrival as a small crowd of disgruntled supporters made their way to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the early hours of the morning to show their anger towards the players.
Head coach Stuart Law however was lucky as the Australian and three other foreign support staff did not accompany the team back home, as they went for their vacation.
Captain Shakib talked with the media and said that lack of preparation and failure of the batsmen were the reasons behind the poor performance in Zimbabwe.
The cricketers will return to business after the Eid vacation, which most will spend away from Dhaka in their respective home districts, to prepare for the next assignment which is against West Indies at home in October. West Indies will arrive in the capital on October 4 to play one T20, two Tests and three one-day internationals.
Many had raised questions about Bangladesh's poor preparation and planning with regard to the very important tour of Zimbabwe, which is why everybody will be looking forward to see whether the board has learned any lessons from the Zimbabwe debacle ahead of the West Indies challenge.
Newly-appointed coach Stuart Law barely had a week to prepare and get to know his charges before boarding the flight to Zimbabwe in late July. This time however, he will get the opportunity to plan properly ahead of the West Indies series once he arrives in Dhaka on September 7.
The camp is likely to start from September 8 and the players will get the chance to play seven one-day matches as a BCB Cup involving the national team, A team and Academy team will take place from September 14 to September 23. But once again the weather may hinder preparations.
The new Bangladesh coach however emphasised on some tour matches for better preparation, and it is learned that the board is also planning to arrange a tour in Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh captain Shakib however is once again going to miss most of the camp as he has a commitment with the Kolkata Knight Riders for the Champions League.