Who will take the baton from the Fab Four?
Bangladesh on Tuesday prevailed through a looming threat of cyclone and registered a thumping 103-run victory over Sri Lanka in Mirpur. The victory sealed the Tigers' first-ever bilateral series win over the Lankans and with it, Bangladesh also segued from a gloomy period into a state of steadiness, for the time being, in their cricketing adventure.
Bangladesh are now at the summit of the ICC ODI Super League table with 50 points in eight matches, and that ought to lift the Tigers' spirit as they achieved all this coming on the back of nine losses out of 10 matches across formats.
But even after these accomplishments, there still remains a major concern considering the future of Bangladesh cricket. Despite playing in their favourite format and against a rather inexperienced Sri Lanka side, it was once again players from the senior quartet of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan who pulled Bangladesh out of vulnerable situations through their performances. Fifties from Tamim, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur in the first ODI and a century from Mushfiqur in the second game coasted Tigers to easy victories.
Time and again, selectors sidestep admitting the harsh reality of Bangladesh not possessing a single consistent performer aside from the said quartet by boasting about the 'rich pipeline' they have to lean into at any time.
Head coach Russell Domingo stressed the urgency of preparing for life after Tamim, Shakib, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur, all of whom are in their 30s, just ahead of the ongoing series. Why did he do so? Perhaps, being part of the team management and having scrutinised Bangladesh from close quarters in the past few years, Domingo could sense the necessity of the issue he raised in order to formulate a long-term plan, something that the team management often talks about but clearly lacks.
In the last three years, Bangladesh played a total of 44 ODIs, winning 25 of them. Unsurprisingly, during this period the bulk of the runs were scored by the aforementioned four seniors. Out of the 10,798 runs scored by Bangladesh, these four players accounted for 51.42 per cent or 5,552 runs.
The fact that any one or all four of them featured in every ODIs played in the past three years prove these players' consistency, but it also points out the team's over-dependency on the said cricketers. These players missed any game during this period only due to injuries, suspensions or when they took a leave from national duty as Bangladesh, even after all these years of international cricket, do not possess the luxury of resting any senior player and send a youthful, yet capable, squad to any major tournament or series like India, Australia or England often do.
It obviously augurs well for Bangladesh that the senior players have almost consistently performed over the years, but it could also be a scary thing when considering what Domingo said -- life after the quartet.
Mushfiqur spoke after his match-winning 125 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, saying: "Would be very happy and hope that the likes of Liton [Das], Afif [Hossain] and Mosaddek [Hossain] start contributing in the near future as it becomes difficult for only the seniors to tackle all the pressure in a game." Was there a hint of concern and frustration in the voice of the senior campaigner? If yes, was his concern not a valid one?
It has been almost six years since the likes of Liton or Soumya Sarkar have been playing almost regularly for Bangladesh with 'potential' and 'talented' tags preceding their names. But unfortunately, they are still fighting to be consistent in the team. At times, there were a number of other players who broke into the squad with significant hype only to fade away after a brief period. While some players have been the victim of the selectors' nonsensical and untimely chop-and-change policy, the others, like Liton and Soumya, have failed after repeated opportunities.
This may be a time for a reality check for Bangladesh. Who is to be blamed here? Should the blame be pinned on the team management for their lack of planning, vision and their process of operating or should the players be faulted for not grabbing opportunities when presented?
The answer needs to be found soon if life after the quartet and Bangladesh's cricketing future is to be secured.
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