Shift of focus and mindset
The FIFA World Cup was the centre of attention for all sports lovers, especially in Bangladesh, over the past month but with its conclusion fans will now return their eyes to the Tigers, who will face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series from July 22 after a humiliating defeat in the Test series.
Both Bangladesh and wicketkeeper-batsman Anamul Haque will return to the one-day format after nearly six months since their defeat in the final of the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka at home in January this year.
Anamul was dropped for the final of that series, a game the Tigers eventually lost by 79 runs. The 25-year-old informed that the visitors were gearing up for a comeback against the West Indies after facing crushing defeats and losing the Test series 2-0.
"We have to prepare anew for the one-day series and if we can prepare well, we can do well. Obviously the players are trying to make a comeback as the format has changed and it will again be the white ball, in which Bangladesh have been playing well for a long time now," said Anamul, who along with Mustafizur Rahman and four other members of the ODI squad, joined the side for the first training session in Jamaica on Monday.
Bangladesh's inspirational ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza also flew for the Caribbean to join the demoralised Tigers on Monday at midnight and his first task will be to piece together the confidence of the players which has been brutally crushed.
However, Bangladesh are more confident when it comes to the fifty over format, where they have a better record be it at home or overseas, and one can expect a better show.
The upcoming ODI series against West Indies will also be the beginning of the Tigers preparations for the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
But no matter what the results are in the ODI series, which will be followed by the three-match T20I series, it was the manner of those defeats in the two-match Test series that will certainly haunt Bangladesh for a long time.
The Bangladeshi cricketers hardly showed any character in either of the Tests. They were on the receiving end of a humiliating innings and 219-run defeat in the first Test, during which they were bundled out for their lowest-ever score of 43 in the first innings.
Things remained unchanged in the second Test as the team again failed to cross the 150-run mark, eventually crumbling to a huge 166-run defeat.
Whether it is the fragile domestic structure or the Bangladesh Cricket Board's lack of willingness to deduce the exact reason behind the poor performance in Test cricket, the senior players are also to blame for not being able to cope with the difficult conditions despite having a wealth of experience.
Another alarming part is that there appears to be no player who can succeed the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim or Mahmudullah Riyad in any format in the future.
It will be important for the BCB to examine the reason behind the players' lack of interest in the longest format of the game rather than only focusing on limited overs success, which will definitely hurt Bangladesh cricket in the long run.