'Best-ever T20 World Cup' blown out of proportion
The Bangladesh team management is probably experiencing a very rare phase as of late. There is no doubting its claim that the Tigers have enjoyed their 'best-ever T20 World Cup campaign' in Australia this year.
From a statistical vantage point, the statement is indeed true. In about a fortnight, Bangladesh went from not winning a game in the main phase of the T20 World Cup in 15 years to winning two games and coming within one match of making the semifinal for the first time in their history.
In fact, Bangladesh surpassed their previous best in T20 World Cups inside a week in the land down under, beating the Netherlands in their tournament opener before bouncing back from a thumping by South Africa with a thrilling win over age-old foes Zimbabwe in their third game.
Achieving all that in a campaign that was not even deemed a primary focus by the team management is indeed a grand achievement. And that is exactly how everyone in the team is portraying this campaign.
"In terms of results, this is the best performance we had in T20 World Cups," skipper Shakib Al Hasan said after their final Super 12 match against Pakistan in Adelaide. T20 technical consultant Sridharan Sriram had said the exact same thing prior to the Pakistan game.
It is clear that Bangladesh have surpassed the bar they had set for themselves. Instead of having to search for positives from defeats as they often resort to following most series and tournaments played in the shortest format, they can actually now boast about wins against teams termed as 'minnows' in cricket. Kudos!
Interestingly, these lightweights issued a far more searing warning to cricketing powerhouses. The Netherlands knocked out an in-form South Africa while Zimbabwe had the last laugh against Pakistan. The Dutch even finished above Bangladesh in their group.
If their successes were tied to Bangladesh's, it would only intensify the stature of the Tigers' already acclaimed 'best-ever T20 World Cup' as both the Netherlands and Zimbabwe were defeated by Shakib and Co.
It is actually funny how the same faces from the Bangladesh leadership have now suddenly turned to point at the outcome when asked to summarise this World Cup campaign instead of talking about 'positives' from a certain knock, a bowling display or the approach in a game.
Ironically, if Bangladesh's gameplay is scrutinised in detail, a lot of positives would probably not come to the fore. They would most likely revolve around Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed and, to an extent, the pace department.
Najmul Hossain Shanto did end up as the Tigers' highest run-getter in the tournament, with 180 runs at an average of 36, but his performances were as questionable as the approach from the team management -- which decided not to let Liton open the innings in the first three matches -- and the ability of the middle-order -- which was able to post 150 runs only in one instance throughout the tournament.
And if the team management's eyes have been on the next T20 World Cup, in the USA and the West Indies in 2024, all along, satisfaction with such a result only indicates two further years of dreary performances in the shortest format.
It would perhaps act in Bangladesh's favour if they opted for introspection and started working on their shortcomings now instead of letting the bubble of the 'best-ever T20 World Cup' consume them. Otherwise, it may be too late when they realise the next T20 World Cup is knocking at the door.