‘Winning Momentum’: A BCB Original
Bangladesh's T20 World Cup campaign offer only agony and pain to fans if they simply look at the outcome. But in reality the Tigers' T20 quest offered much more than just wins and losses; it was an exciting drama-packed thriller doled out by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and its stakeholders.
An eye for detail can help one ascertain the elements in Bangladesh's T20 World Cup journey that could make it more exciting and entertaining than many Netflix originals!
It had almost everything to be a 9/10 content. There was drama, suspense, excitement, the thrill of shots fired and shots returned and a fitting if somewhat anticlimactic end with Bangladesh returning empty-handed and falling from six to eight in the T20I rankings.
The hook of the mega-series came in September, when ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal announced he would not be available for the T20 World Cup. However, it was not the news itself but the way it came out to the public that caught everyone's eye. Instead of the board issuing a formal press release on the matter, Tamim opted for a Facebook live session to let everyone know of his unavailability.
With Tamim successfully hooking the media and fans' attention at the very beginning, all eyes were now on the New Zealand series which was played right after Bangladesh had thumped Australia 4-1.
While it was clear to the experts and even fans, at least knowledgeable ones, that the slow and low Mirpur surfaces were being exploited to register maiden series wins against the Kiwis and the Aussies and that the wins would not amount to much in the long run, members of the BCB and team management remained adamant that the 'winning momentum' was all the tonic that they needed before the World Cup.
This part, meanwhile, could be considered the suspense of the Tigers' whole T20 World Cup storyline, similar to the moment in a horror movie when a jolly family is too ignorant to see obvious red flags and proceed on their merry way into a new house while viewers can clearly see the impending doom that awaits.
'Winning momentum'. That is all that was uttered and the term could be heard time and again before and even during the Tigers' World Cup journey. Even after losses in both official practice games, a loss to associates Scotland in the first round and the eventual debacle that saw them lose five of five matches in the Super 12 stage, the team management's rigid stance on the matter would not change.
Without any acknowledgment of the clear faults in their preferred method of preparation for the mega-event, the bereaved Tigers were left to fend for themselves as, alongside fans and media, even members of the board began taking wild swings at them, leaving the players to resort to snarky replies at press conferences as they kept the drama alive.
While skipper Mahmudullah Riyad became emotional and pointed out the extent to which the players go to show their commitment and dedication towards the team and how their feelings for the country are 'much greater than the outsiders', an agitated Shakib Al Hasan tried to justify batting failures by pointing out the shortcomings of Oman, an associate nation. The pinnacle of dramatic events, however, was doled out by Mushfiqur Rahim when he insisted the naysayers 'take a look in the mirror'.
If history is anything to go by, the blame game, especially inside the BCB, will go on, promising the spectators a much more exciting and thrilling sequel in the coming days. Maybe a few spur-of-the-moment decisions with no thoughts on long-term benefits will be taken by the cricket board in the coming days. Who knows!
Bangladesh are now attempting to revamp their process to rebuild their tarnished image. How will they do it? Will it be the same old method of welcoming Pakistan later this month to slow and low Mirpur surfaces that can only give the Tigers a false sense of achievement with a few wins under the belt?
Or will the team management be wise enough to realise that this Pakistan series of three T20Is and two Tests could be a first step towards avoiding such horrendous mishaps in the coming years?
The latter will only be possible if the BCB casts aside their 'winning momentum' philosophy, subdue their ego and prepare sporting wickets that may cost them in the form of a few defeats but benefit the country's cricket by creating a proper cricketing process that could see Bangladesh fare better in the next T20 extravaganza in the coming year in Australia.
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