Tigers’ limp Champions Trophy shows signal weakening ODI prospects

Recent stats are a reflection of Bangladesh’s disconcerted playstyle that lacks progress in the modern game

Asked about Bangladesh’s preparations ahead of the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto had said the team would have “no problem” adjusting to the 50-overs format after playing Twenty20 cricket for a month and a half in the lead up to the tournament.

Shanto, who had not played a match for more than a month, was supremely confident about doing well in the elite ICC tournament, simply because it was one-dayers.

Shanto was not alone in this as the Tigers have usually felt right at home in this form of the game. In fact, Bangladesh often showed signs of consistency and improvement to generate prospects of becoming a world-class team in ODIs.

But the Tigers’ performances in the 2023 World Cup and now the Champions Trophy, along with tame showing in bilateral series in the meantime, have deflated the high expectations.

Over the past 43 ODIs since the start of 2023, Bangladesh won only 14 games while three ended with no results. The Tigers lost 26 of the games.

No other full member country of the ICC lost as many games during this period with Bangladesh registering a win-loss ratio of 0.538, a spot above bottom-placed Ireland (0.533).

Over the past two years, Bangladesh produced comparatively better results in Tests and T20Is. They won 6 out of 14 games in the illustrious format, including a clean sweep of the series against Pakistan in their backyard, win over the West Indies in the Caribbean Islands and New Zealand at home.

In the shortest format, Bangladesh secured 22 wins out of 38 games.

For the first time in the showcase event since 2003, Bangladesh returned home with less than three wins in 2023, recording just two victories, against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The Tigers tamely folded against other bigger teams, losing even against the Netherlands.

Shanto was beaming with confidence before flying for the Champions Trophy as he said becoming champions was their goal. But they turned up to be a trainwreck, only producing bitter defeats - by six wickets against India and then five wickets against New Zealand - to prematurely exit the competition.

It marks the third straight elimination for Bangladesh from the first round of an ICC tournament.

The latest success was in the 2019 World Cup when they beat South Africa, the West Indies and Afghanistan to stay on the hunt for a spot in the semis.

The listless ODI performances as of late includes bilateral series. Since 2023, Bangladesh won only three of the nine bilateral series they played, including two against Ireland. The Tigers ended up losing two series to Afghanistan and New Zealand each, even in their backyard.

Bangladesh suffered a 0-3 sweep of the ODI series in the West Indies in December.

In the 43 games since 2023, Bangladesh reached totals of 300 or more only six times - three of those against Ireland. They lost two of the other three due to poor bowling.

The stats are a reflection of Bangladesh’s disconcerted playstyle that lacks progress. The expansion of the 20-over format has heavily influenced how one-dayers are played now, but Bangladesh have not coped well with the development.

Former captain Habibul Bashar said: “I won’t say right now that we’re slipping in ODIs. But the time to become alert is here. We need to make plans for the 2027 World Cup.”

“And for that, we need to prioritise how we want to play the bilateral series. We need to think about these after the Champions Trophy.”

Bangladesh recorded only eight ODI centuries in more than two years. In 2023, Soumya Sarkar scored 169 against New Zealand and Mehidy Hasan Miraz cracked 112 against Afghanistan.

Litton Kumer Das, who had become a mainstay for the Tigers’ batting, was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad following streaks of failure.

But Tanzid Hasan, Anamul Haque and Mohammad Naim Sheikh have yet to prove themselves at the top of the order.

“Our opening is going through a transition. Not getting good performances here is making the team suffer. We may have started well against New Zealand but it's not happening consistently,” Bashar said.

“Tamim [Iqbal] used to play big innings regularly. But we’re not getting big scores from the opening now. This is one of the reasons [behind not getting good results].

Shanto, however, was not keen to blame any single department for the shortcomings.

“I think doing well in every department is important as a team. One day we’re batting well at the top, and scoring runs in the middle on others. Another day we’re fielding well… I mean, it’s a total mess,” he said.

“I think we need combined performances to win against big teams and in such tournaments.”

Bangladesh will take on Pakistan in their last game of the Champions Trophy on Thursday.