The ODI bubble bursts in 2023
A year of disappointment ended in a positive note for Bangladesh with a dominant win in New Zealand, but it did little to make up for what has been an abysmal year for the Tigers in their favourite format – the ODIs.
The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side defeated the Kiwis by nine wickets on Saturday, ending Bangladesh's 18-match losing streak in ODIs against the hosts in New Zealand.
But this historic win came after a series of disappointments in ODIs for the Tigers in 2023, making it their worst year in the format in recent memory.
2023 has been Bangladesh's busiest ever year in ODIs. They have played 32 matches as part of six bilateral series – four at home and two away– and taken part in the Asia Cup in August-September and the ICC World Cup in October-November.
On paper, the year held a lot of promise for the Tigers, but as it progressed, the sense of optimism withered away.
The Tigers won only 11 ODIs this year, which comes down to one win in roughly three matches.
They lost four out of their six bilateral series, losing to England and Afghanistan at home and a couple of times to New Zealand in both home and away.
Their only two series wins came against the Irish -- the first in March in Bangladesh and the second two months later in Ireland.
The Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka and Pakistan also went poorly for the Tigers, where they lost three out of five games, but it was nothing compared to the disappointment in the World Cup.
Bangladesh had their worst outing in two decades in the event, losing seven out of nine games, including a defeat to the Netherlands.
The abysmal performance from a team that had finished third in the ODI Super League and had won a series against the Proteas in South Africa and against India at home the previous year seemed hard to believe.
But what those stats don't show is that while Bangladesh played with their best available XI at all times in the Super League, desperate to win, the other teams were often playing without their best players.
With the advent of Twenty20 franchise cricket, ODIs have been losing relevance in most top cricketing countries, with many players opting out of bilateral series.
The boards have also become more cautious about managing the workload of their best cricketers, often resting them in ODI engagements to keep them fresh for Tests and ICC events.
Because of this, top teams like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and India often fielded understrength teams in bilateral series, which also gave them a chance to test new players and increase their players' pool.
But Bangladesh continued with their approach of always playing with the best available players even after the World Cup qualification had been ensured and this tendency hurt them in the World Cup, where they had to take untested players.
However, even after this tactical gaffe Bangladesh should've done better in at least the home ODIs.
But other than the England series, which they lost 1-2, the home series against Afghanistan and New Zealand happened when the whole Tamim Iqbal episode was taking place, which evidently didn't help the team's case.
Whatever the reason, the dismal 2023 has put a serious dent in the generalised belief that Bangladesh are a top ODI side and signal a need for change in direction.