Time for a reboot?

From 2015 to 2017 and even in 2018 to an extent, Bangladesh emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the fifty-over format under skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

Since making their first ICC World Cup quarterfinal in 2015, the Tigers' graph in the ODI format trended upwards as long-term planning and introducing fresh faces paid dividends for Bangladesh.

The Tigers became an unstoppable force at home -- bolstered by the fantastic five of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad -- and managed to win series against India, South Africa and Pakistan, which heightened expectations for the 2019 World Cup.

The fifty-over format was labelled the Tigers' favoured format and the side would go into each game with a clear game plan and strategy. But things started to change last year after a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the ten-team World Cup.

There is undoubtedly a vacuum and sense of confusion when it comes to leadership in Bangladesh cricket, with Mashrafe at the final stage of his career and Shakib Al Hasan absent after being banned for a year for not reporting corrupt approaches from a bookie.

With the five stalwarts nearing the end of their careers, a new coaching staff led by head coach Russell Domingo and the next World Cup in mind, the need for reform in the Bangladesh ODI team is clear and should start now.

Talk about creating a good cricketing culture has been the buzz in Bangladesh cricket and a long-term goal to do well in Tests has already taken shape.

It will be interesting to see whether Domingo and the team management will plan accordingly in limited-overs formats too and prepare a new set of players for the next World Cup.

The first of the three match ODI series against Zimbabwe starting from today in Sylhet can be the beginning of a new era for the Tigers.

It is true that Bangladesh have not done well in the ODIs since the World Cup, which preceded a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka in August last year.

The Tigers will return to fifty-over cricket after a gap of nearly six months and, despite questions over the strength of Zimbabwe, it will be interesting to see whether Domingo goes for a win-first strategy to gain much-needed confidence and break the losing streak or if the South African will look to provide opportunities to youngsters in order to prepare them for the future.

There is a new batch of cricketers coming into the Tigers ranks in recent times, featuring players such as Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Naim Sheikh and Mohammad Saifuddin alongside relatively experienced players like Mustafizur Rahman, Liton Das, Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Mithun. And with all those factors in mind, it seems it is high time for the Tigers to look forward now.