The Bangladesh national men’s cricket team expectedly lost its opening match of the Bangla Wash tri-series against a high-ranked T20I side, Pakistan, by 21 runs on Friday (October 7) in Christchurch. The experts have the right to criticize the Bangladesh team, especially the batting unit, after their dismal display against Pakistan. Will their current strategy for T20 cricket work in New Zealand conditions?
Bangladesh’s T20I record in New Zealand
The men's national cricket team of Bangladesh is taking part in a tri-nation series in New Zealand. The series serves as a warm-up for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Fans of Tigers cricket shouldn't have too much hope based on their team's overall T20I record in New Zealand. Bangladesh team has failed to win a T20I match in New Zealand in eight attempts. They have lost seven out of their eight games against New Zealand, showing how challenging it is to compete at their highest level under these circumstances.
Read: At a Glance: ICC T20 Men's World Cup 2022 Venues
Did Bangladesh’s strategy for the T20 format work against Pakistan in the first match?
Simply stated, Bangladesh's T20 strategy against Pakistan didn't work out. Captain Nurul Hasan Sohan chose to bat first in order to have a definite goal to play for. The fast bowlers did not live up to expectations, with the exception of Taskin Ahmed, who was by far the best player for Bangladesh in the match. As usual, Bangladesh's batters were disappointing and did not put Pakistan's bowlers under any significant strain.
Bowling
Mustafizur Rahman is considered the main weapon of Bangladesh’s pace bowling unit. But his outing in the first match once again proved that the left-hand pacer is currently going through a bad phase and can’t be trusted as a death-overs bowler. Mustafizur was hammered by the Pakistan batters all around the ground and was the costliest bowler of the contest with 12 economy rates.
The Bangladesh campaign should be even more worried by witnessing how Mustafizur has performed in 2022. He has the worst average (42.37) and strike rate (29.2) among the Bangladesh bowlers who have bowled at least 10 overs in the last year. His 8.69 economy rate is also among the worst among the Bangladeshi players. This stat clearly suggests that Bangladesh shouldn’t trust Mustfaizur Rahman as one of their death-overs specialists, at least in Oceania conditions.
Young Hasan Mahmud was expensive against Pakistan. He needs to work with pace bowling coach Alan Donald on adjusting his line and length for these conditions. The performances of pace bowler Taskin Ahmed and spinner Nasum Ahmed were the two positives for Bangladesh. Taskin, in particular, was magnificent in his approach and the way he put pressure on the Pakistan batters. He finished his spell with 2/25 in 4 overs. Nasum Ahmed, on the other hand, conceded only 22 runs in his spell.
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Batting
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was sent to start the innings with Sabbir Rahman as Bangladesh continued to experiment with the opening position. They were having trouble timing the ball when trying to settle into the wicket. Both of them failed and headed to the pavilion after having fewer than 100 strike rates.
The only chance Bangladesh had was during the middle overs, when Afif Hossain and Litton Das were forming a partnership. They tried to break free by hitting some shots, especially on the leg side. However, the bulk of their shots weren't solid enough, and they might easily fall into the hands of the fielders on any given day.
Bangladesh’s innings fell apart when Litton-Afif’s 50-run stand came to an end in the 13th over. Yasir Ali impressed many Bangladesh cricket fans by hitting some big shots and ending his innings with an unbeaten 42* off 21. However, one needs to understand that when Yasir tried to smack Pakistan bowlers, by then Bangladesh’s hope in the contest was done and dusted. He needs to show his power-hitting ability when under pressure. But Yasir has given a hint to the team management that promoting him to the top order could be a good idea.
Overall, Bangladesh's batters' strategy was shaky and ineffective under these circumstances. The batters had better be well-prepared to chase 200 runs in upcoming matches. They must possess the skills necessary to play shots confidently and the attitude needed to consistently pressure the opposing bowlers. Because their cautious strategy didn't work in the first game and it won't work in the following games either.
Read: Tri-series: Dismal batting continues to haunt Bangladesh
