Bangladesh has had a disappointing year in 2023 in terms of ODI cricket. Due to injuries and other issues, and the absence of a few senior and experienced cricketers, the performance of  the Bangladesh cricket team showed evidence of a lagging behind.  

Despite the below average  performance this year, Bangladesh cricket team has seen the rise of many young cricketers, showing their capabilities to be a part of the national team and ready to fill in the big steps that were missing on the current team.

This is an analysis of the Bangladesh ODI cricket in the year 2023.  

2023 ODIs by Bangladesh Men’s National Cricket Team 

Bangladesh played 18 ODI’s in total in 2023, losing the majority of the matches, including the World Cup and Asia Cup which was a disaster. 

Bangladesh managed to get some victories, winning the last ODI to end the year on a positive note. Bangladesh played 6 ODI series, 4 at home, 2 away, also the two big events Asia and World Cup ( 50-over format).  

Read more: Uncertainty Looms Over Tamim's International Return and Central Contract

Performance Of Bangladesh Men’s ODI Squad in 2023

The men’s cricket team did not have many achievements in ODI cricket this year. Bangladesh failed to create any big impact even after playing two major tournaments that happened this year. Let us have a look at the ODI performance of Bangladesh overall, in the year 2023.

Bangladesh Vs England (3-match ODI Series at home)

Bangladesh started their ODI campaign on 1st to 6th of March with the series between England. 

England won the series by a margin of (2-1). The remarkable performance of David Malan, scoring an unbeaten 114 runs off 145 balls, secured the win after a tentative run chase in the first ODI which was held at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.

In the 2nd ODI also played in Mirpur, England showed a dominant performance  where Jason Roy scored his 12th century, putting up a huge score of 326, eventually winning the match by 132 runs. Adil Rashid, picked up 4 wickets in that match 8 wickets overall, getting the player of the series award. 

Bangladesh didn't show much in the first two ODI’s, Nazmul Hossain scored a fifty and Taijul Islam picked up 3 wickets in the 1st and Shakib Al Hasan got a fifty and Taskin Ahmed picked up 3 wickets in the 2nd.  

All-round performance of Shakib Al Hasan scoring a match winning 75 and taking 8 wickets, Bangladesh managed to win the last ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Cricket Stadium, Chattogram.

Read more: Preview of BAN Vs NZ T20I Series 2023: Fixtures, Schedule, Key Players, Team

Bangladesh Vs Ireland (3-match ODI Series at Home)

Shortly after the England series, Ireland visited Bangladesh to play a 3 match ODI series, between 18th to 23rd March. The matches were played in Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet.

Bangladesh won the first match, after Shakib and Tawhid Hridoy both scored 90 plus runs, putting a huge score of 338 runs which was the highest team total that time, now the second highest. Tawhid Hridoy was the man of the match.

The second ODI was a washout, after Bangladesh scored 349, highest team total. Mushfiq scored a century in 60 balls, the fastest century by a Bangladeshi batter.

The third ODI, was a one sided game, thanks to the maiden 5 wickets for Hasan Mahmud, which led Ireland to score 101 after getting all out. Tamim and Liton put on a century partnership, winning the series (2-0). 

Read more: Chennai Super Kings secure Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2024

Bangladesh Vs Ireland (3 match ODI Series, Away)

The series was away from home in England from 9th to 14th of May.

First ODI, a wash out game,  Bangladesh put on 246 runs, Mushfiq scored 61 runs and Nazmul Hossain Shanto scored 44 runs. 

Ireland was in a tough spot, losing 3 wickets after scoring just 65 runs, after rain interrupted the match, making the pitch too damp to play any further. 

The second ODI Bangladesh won the match with 3 balls to spare, chasing a total of 320 runs. Harry Tector scored 140 runs, but not good enough. 

Nazmul Hossain Shanto scored 117 runs off 93 balls, Tawhid Hridoy scored 68 runs, helping the team to get close to the target. Also, Mushfiqur Rahim kept his calm and guided the team to the win. 

Bangladesh won the last one, a thriller, securing a win of 5 runs, Bangladesh scored 274 after getting all out. Tamim scored 69, highest scorer in the match. 

Mustafizur bagged 4 wickets and the match came to the last over for an exciting conclusion. Hasan Mahmud bowled the last over, defending 9 runs, taking 2 wickets and only giving 4 runs.   

Read more: Triumphant U-19 boys eager to keep shining

Bangladesh Vs Afghanistan (3 match ODI Series at Home)

ODI cricket was back in Bangladesh, facing Afghanistan for a 3 match series, starting from 5th to 11th July.  

Afghanistan won the match by 17 runs (DLS Method) ,after Farooqi put on the early breaks, picking up 3 wickets, restricting Bangladesh to score only 169 in 43 overs. 

After reducing the match to 43 over, rain  interrupted again, and at the end Afghanistan won the match as DLS method applied for the 21.4 over where the target was 67 runs, but Afghanistan scored 83 runs.

Second Match, Both Gurbaz and Ibrahim scored centuries, putting a target of 332 runs. Bangladesh were all out on 189, Mushfiqur scored 69 runs.

Last match, Bangladesh overcame a 7 wicket win, after Afghanistan fell for just 126 runs. Shoriful took 4 wickets, Litton scored a fifty, ending the series with (2-1) defeat against Afghanistan.

Read more: Shakib to continue as Bangladesh Captain, BCB confirms

Asia Cup 2023 (50-Over Format)

Asia Cup, was played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, from 31st August to September 17.

Bangladesh played their first group stage against Sri Lanka, losing the match by 5 wickets, Shanto scored 89 runs. In the second group stage match, Miraz and Shanto  both scored centuries, winning the match by 89 runs and qualifying for the Super 4s.

First match in the Super 4s which happened in Lahore, Bangladesh lost the match, by 7 wickets, after Bangladesh managed to put only 193 runs on the board. 

Second match, which happened in Colombo, lost the match after a close match against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh were unable to score 258 runs, bowled out for only 236 runs Tawhid Hridoys’s scored a valiant 82 runs.

Last match, in Colombo, Bangladesh won against India, defending a score of 266 runs, eventually won by 6 runs. Shakib was declared man of the match as he scored 80 runs and took 1 wicket.

Read more: Bangladesh creates history with maiden ODI win in New Zealand

Bangladesh Vs New Zealand (3 Match ODI Series At Home)

Before the world cup, Bangladesh played a bilateral ODI series against New Zealand, starting from 21st to 26th of September, all the matches were played in Mirpur.

The First Match was canceled due to rain. Second match, New Zealand won the match by 86 runs, scoring  254, then eventually, bowled the opposition for just 168. 

Mahmudullah scored 49 runs, after Khaled and Mahedi took 3 wickets each. Ish Sodhi was man of the match, scoring 35 runs and taking 6 wickets.

Last ODI, Bangladesh lost the match and series by 7 wickets, after scoring only 171 runs. Shanto scored 76 runs, whereas Adam Milne took 4 wickets to wrap up the series for the Kiwis.

Read more: New Zealand tour of Bangladesh in 2023-2024: Schedules, Fixtures, Team

ICC World Cup 2023 (50-Over Format)

The most exciting and the most valued tournament of cricket, happened in 5th of October to 19th of November in India. 

This world cup was the worst for Bangladesh since the 2003 world cup, winning only two matches out of 9 matches. Bangladesh lost 7 matches with big margins, even losing to Netherlands by 87 runs, who is not even a Test playing nation.

After the first match win against Afghanistan by 6 wickets, Bangladesh was desperate to get a win, eventually got the win against Sri-Lanka, ended in a high drama match in Delhi.

Mahmudullah was the only top scorer for Bangladesh, scoring a respectable 328 runs from 8 matches. 

The end result was very poor as the fans didn't expect the team to perform so badly.

Read more: Bangladesh's Overall Performance Analysis in the ICC World Cup 2023

Bangladesh Vs New Zealand (3 Match ODI Series Away) 

After a disappointing World Cup,Bangladesh played 3 One Day Internationals, in New Zealand from 17th to 23rd of December. 

First match was interrupted by rain, which turned into a 30 over match. New Zealand Scored 239, and set a target of 245 due DLS method. Will Young scored a century. Bangladesh managed only 200 runs, losing by 44 runs.

In the second match, Bangladesh scored 291 runs, where Soumya Sarker broke record scoring 169 off 151 balls. But his efforts were in vain as New Zealand chased down the target comfortably, winning by 7 wickets and 22 balls to spare.

In the third match, Bangladesh clinched a memorable win, first ever ODI victory against New Zealand in New Zealand, even though losing the series (2-1). New Zealand all out for 98 runs, where Tanzim,Soumya and Shoriful took 3 wickets each.

Read more: Overview Of BAN VS NZ ODI Series 2023: Post World Cup Matches

Successful Bangladeshi Cricketers in the 2023 Men’s ODI matches

Table: Top three most successful batsman for Bangladesh in 2023 (ODI Format)                           

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Table: Top three most successful bowlers for Bangladesh in 2023 (ODI Format)

Bottom Line

So far, we have reviewed the Bangladesh men’s national cricket team’s performance for 2023. It is clear that 2023 cannot be tagged as a successful year for Bangladesh cricket. Inconsistency and lack of proper planning was the main reason for the failure. 

This year a lot of newcomers were given opportunities to show their potential. Many of them showed their talent which is a good sign, since senior players may not play for long and have to rely heavily on the new players to deliver goods. Hopefully, Bangladesh will learn from their mistakes and overcome the shortcoming in 2024.

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