Year-ender 2016, Bangladesh: Tigers roar at home, but away?

Question remains, can Bangladesh win overseas like they do at home?

After a fruitful 2015, it was evident that Bangladesh had made their own place. 2016 came with high hopes for the tigers to pull off victories and cause major upsets in ICC World T20 2016, the biggest cricketing event of the year. They fared well until they played in subcontinental conditions. But by the end of the year, their flaws were exposed as they travelled to New Zealand, and were gifted a 3-0 whitewash. Question remains, can Bangladesh win overseas like they do at home? The year started with a Twenty20 International (T20I) series at home with Zimbabwe, a team that looked relatively weaker.

Bangladesh, after their performance against Pakistan, India and South Africa the year before, definitely looked to be the dominant team and started off the series with two back-to-back wins. What followed was a surprise. Zimbabwe fought hard to end the series in a draw, winning the remaining two T20Is. Though they were barred from winning the series at home, they had positives to take from the series. Sabbir Rahman performed consistently played well at No. 3, which was a great sign before the upcoming tournaments.

Bangladesh continue their Asia Cup success

Asia Cup was played in T20 format, keeping in mind ICC World T20 2016. Bangladesh’s first hurdle was India. Al-Amin Hossain’s 3-for restricted the tournament favourites at 166 for 6, but the batsmen failed to put up the required effort. However, Sabbir continued his stunning form, but the rest could not help him. At the end of their innings, they had 121 runs on the board. Bangladesh started the campaign with a defeat.

Though UAE looked to be an easy opponent, victory against them was not a comprehensive one. UAE’s innings came to an end with 133 runs on the board. The bowlers saved the day for the hosts. Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah bagged 2 wickets, maintaining a brilliant economy. The highest-scorer for UAE was Muhammad Usman with his 30. Bangladesh bundled UAE out for 82, winning the match by 51 runs.

Bangladesh then faced Sri Lanka. They were off to a tumbling start, losing 2 wickets within 1.3 overs. It was the extraordinary effort from Sabbir. He scored 80 off 54 deliveries, rescuing Bangladesh. Sri Lanka found it hard to chase 148 despite having 76 runs on the board for the loss of 2 wickets after 11 overs. Bangladesh went on to win the match by 23 runs, causing one of the major upsets of Asia Cup 2016.

Another upset followed when Shahid Afridi and his boys from Pakistan lost to Bangladesh in the following match. Al-Amin Hossain was again on top of his game, and helping his team restrict Pakistan at 129 for 7. Soumya Sarkar’s run-a-ball 48 made the chase look like a cakewalk, while Mahmudullah and Mortaza’s fireworks towards the end of their innings speeded up their victory. Bangladesh, who looked stronger throughout the tournament, were in the final to face India, once again, in a hope to life the title.

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Bangladesh’s batting in the Asia Cup final was nothing exceptional. A 120-for-5 was definitely not enough to take the team to victory against an opposition that boasts of hitters like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli at the top. Though Rohit departed early for a solitary run, Dhawan added 60 off 44, Kohli scored a 28-ball 41 and India won the title with 1.1 overs still to go in the rain-curtailed final.

Bangladesh had a chance of winning the Asia Cup for the consecutive time. The tournament took place at their home. They were well aware of the playing conditions. Al-Amin Hossain, their frontline pacer, and Sabbir Rahman, the No. 3 batsman, were both in terrific form. All they needed to put up was a team performance that they failed to put up. Sabbir was declared the Player of the Tournament for scoring 176 runs in five matches. Al-Amin emerged as the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 11 wickets. The Asia Cup title would have instilled more confidence for Bangladesh, for the World T20. Nevertheless, they had found Sabbir and Al-Amin for the ICC gala.

Bangladesh and the art of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

Bangladesh had to excel in the group round of the World T20. In Group A, they were the hands-down favourites; the other teams being Netherlands, Ireland and Oman. Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 83 off 58 helped Bangladesh post 153 for 7 at the end of their innings. Skipper Peter Borren’s 30 was the highest score in the Netherlands’ innings that ended at 145 for 7, handing Bangladesh an 8-run defeat.

Bangladesh’s next match was against Ireland, a must-win for the latter for their Super 10 berth. Rain spoiled play entirely after Bangladesh put up 94 for 2 in 8 overs. Bangladesh finally faced Oman, whom they defeated by a 54-run margin (Duckworth-Lewis method), and were through for the final rounds.

Bangladesh’s Super 10 journey started with a massive hammering from Pakistan. Ahmed Shehzad scored 52, Mohammad Hafeez added 64, and Afridi 49 off 19 to take Pakistan to 201 for 5. In reply, Shakib remained unbeaten at 50, but the rest hardly contributed, ending up with 146 for 6 after their 20 overs. It was just the start of the string of defeats.

Next up were Australia, who restricted Bangladesh at 156 for 5. Usman Khawaja’s heroics helped them reach the finishing line with 1.3 overs still at hand. Then came the match against India.

Comedy of errors

India were not at best in the World T20, to be fair. Efforts from the new gun Jasprit Bumrah with the ball and in-form Kohli scoring in leaps and bounds kept India on course. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl. India, who are known to be the better chasers, were expected to put up a huge total, but they rather struggled and ended their innings at 146 for 7.

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The innings exposed the team’s over-dependence on Kohli’s big knocks, who fell for 24 in the match. Bangladesh did not have a great start with the bat either, and kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. However, the total being an ordinary one, the momentum kept swinging equally both ways. An important contribution came from Soumya Sarkar down the order. After 19.3 overs, Bangladesh had 144 for 6 on the board, needing 3 off 3. Mushfiqur Rahim, who hit a four off the previous delivery, started a premature celebration right after his scoop and was out the next delivery. India finally won the match by 1 run.

After three back-to-back defeats, it seemed the team had given up. Their encounter with an unbeaten New Zealand earned them nothing more but humiliation, as they lost the match by 75 runs. Bangladesh bid good bye to the tournament with four consecutive losses in their kitty.

Al-Amin Hossain, who flourished in the subcontinental conditions as a promising pacer during Asia Cup, looked gloomy when pit against the big guns. Sabbir also failed to perform as well as he did before World T20. But moreover, the team constitutes of 11 players. While these two failed to live up to the expectations, the rest could not step up as well.

Back with a bang after 6 months

Bangladesh were absent totally from the international scenes for almost 6 months, till their home series with Afghanistan. The teams were up for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), which was a good practice before their big series against England. The first ODI was a challenge for Afghanistan to get accustomed to the new conditions. They drafted in young debutant Naveen-ul-Haq. Bangladesh, powered by Tamim’s 80, Mahmudullah’s 62 and Shakib Al Hasan’s 48, put up 265 at the end of their innings. Afghanistan gave their best but lost the match by 7 runs.

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The visitors made a comeback in the next match, winning the match by 2 wickets. Bangladesh were bundled out for 208, which Afghanistan chased down with a couple of balls remaining. Tamim’s 118 pushed Bangladesh to 278 in the next ODI, while Mosharraf Hossain and Taskin Ahmed joined hands to get Afghanistan all out for 138 runs. A 141-run victory in the final match, which sealed the series 2-1, was a mental boost for the hosts for the next challenges.

Bangladesh upset England in the longest format

With no international cricket for six months and Afghanistan as the opponents, a series with a team like England had to be the most awaited cricketing event for Bangladesh fans. The tour started with three ODIs. England started off the tour on a positive note, winning the first match by 21 runs. Bangladesh did a commendable job though, as Imrul Kayes scored 112 and Shakib Al Hasan 79.

They won the next match by a comfortable margin of 34 runs, keeping the series alive. Mushfiqur Rahim played a commendable knock of 75 runs, despite a top-order collapse, which took the team to 238 for 8. Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza led from front, picking up 4 crucial wickets. Taskin picked 3 and England were all out for 204.

Bangladesh impressed one and all in the next match as well, but failed to win the match and eventually the series. Sam Billings, Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes all contributed to chase down 278. But Mushfiqur’s unbeaten 67 and the efforts from the top-order showed that they have the intent to edge past the best of the teams.

Bangladesh’s big moment was the first Test with England. Bangladesh were ready to play Tests after more than a year. It was the joy of being able to play in whites that pumped the team up. They were surely not confident of how the individuals will perform in the specific format, for all international cricket the team had played together were mostly limited-overs. Three players made their Test debut, including a core member Sabbir Rahman.

The series was memorable for many reasons. It happened amidst a lot of political unrest caused due to Dhaka terror attack just a few days before the start of the series. Though Bangladesh government assured the visitors a thorough security, England players were open to saying no to the tour for security reasons. After a lot of dilemma, England agreed to visit Bangladesh with most of the regular members.

They put up 293 in the first innings, thanks to Moeen Ali’s composed 68-run knock and Jonny Bairstow’s 52. Debutant Mehedi Hasan turned out  to be an absolute wonder, as he bowled 39.5 overs, bagging 6 wickets in the innings, including that of Joe Root on the very first day.

Bangladesh replied that with 248, with Tamim Iqbal scoring 78 and Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah forming a crucial partnership in the middle-order. Stuart Broad kept things tight, but did not get a wicket. Meanwhile, Bangladesh batsmen fell prey to Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.

Bangladesh, led by Shakib, bowled exceptionally well in the second innings, reducing England to 62 for 5. Stokes, along with Bairstow, formed the most vital partnership that took the score to 240. Tamim fell early but Imrul Kayes displayed good footwork, scoring 43 runs. The middle order looked ordinary till Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman batted. The two played with immense understanding. Once the partnership was set, victory seemed not to be far away. Mushfiqur played a premeditated shot only to end up throwing his wicket away.

Sabbir’s knock showed his character. He fought till the end, trying to build fruitful partnerships with the tail. Nonetheless, his lone efforts did little to save Bangladesh from the defeat. The hosts’ innings came to an end at 263, handing a 22-run victory to England. Sabbir broke down at the crease, and Joe Root showed good sportsmanship as he walked up to console him.

The first Test had already shown the hosts’ hunger for making a mark in this format of the game. In the next and final Test, the Shere Bangla crowd saw Tamim hit a century in the first innings. Mominul Haque played a commendable knock of 66, but rest of the team failed to do anything, ending their innings at 220. Bangladesh batsmen surprisingly threw their wickets to Moeen Ali, despite being accustomed to playing in spin conditions on Day One itself.

England were no exception as they lost 3 wickets on Day One, putting up only 50 runs. They collapsed to 144 for 8 the next day. It was the partnership between Chris Woakes and Rashid that pushed the score to 244. Mehedi looked exceptional once again, taking 6 wickets including Alastair Cook.

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Tamim and Kayes provided the team with a good start. Mahmudullah and Shakib added crucial runs in the middle order. Bangladesh put up 296. Mehedi and Shakib did the rest of the work for Bangladesh, as they did not let the England batsmen build any big partnership. The only partnership formed was between Cook and Duckett, both of whom scored half-centuries each. Mehedi picked up 6 wickets, and Bangladesh registered a historic victory by a margin of 108 runs. Bangladesh drew series 1-1.

But the glory ends here. Bangladesh’s last encounter of the year was the ODI series in New Zealand, which hardly had anything mentionable for the team. The series ended in a 3-0 whitewash in favour of New Zealand. The bowlers gave away too many runs in the series opener, and despite efforts from Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mosaddek Hossain, they failed to chase down 341, handing the hosts a 77-run defeat.

Their bowling looked better in the second match, and that restricted the hosts at a par 251. But their batting disappointed, as they ended their innings at 184. Bangladesh lost the match by 67 runs, and the Kiwis won the series 2-0 straight away.

Tamim, Kayes and Nurul Hasan performed in the final ODI in search of a face-saving victory, but they could only put up 236 runs. New Zealand got to the required runs with 8.4 overs remaining, winning the match by 8 wickets.

Looking at the year, the only positive seems to be their Test series with England. Yes, they have found names like Al-Amin Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain and Mehedi Hasan, but team’s overall performance has hardly improved in the span of 12 months. They played 27 matches in 2016, winning only 11 of them while Afghanistan have won 16 matches playing equal number of matches.

Of the ones they have won, a lot were played at home conditions while they have not won a single match away from home, playing four matches. Question is, when will the Bangladesh tigers roar away from home? 2017 comes with new hopes and away series for the team. Only time will tell if it is right to consider them among the rising powers in the game.

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