Asia Cup Cricket: Two kinds of heat for Tigers

Batting will be at the forefront of Bangladesh's agenda after consecutive underwhelming efforts going into their T20 World Cup Group D fixture against the Netherlands at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown today.

Bangladesh almost made a meal of their 124-run chase against Sri Lanka in their two-wicket win in Dallas and were on the wrong end of the results, falling short by four runs, when they had to chase 113 against South Africa in their second match in New York.

While the bowlers delivered excellent efforts in both matches, the batters, with the exception of in-form Towhid Hridoy, have largely misfired and failed to pull their weight.

Hridoy, Bangladesh's top run-getter with 77, played a match-winning 20-ball 40 against the Lankans and followed it up with a vigilant 34-ball 37. He is the only batter to have an average strike-rate greater than 100 so far for the Tigers and has batted at more than a run-a-ball in both matches.

The top-order continues to be one of the major headaches for the Tigers, more so because it includes skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who hasn't been able to snap out of his miserable run, averaging 14.2 in his last 10 innings at a strike-rate of 86.1.

With the pitches in Dallas and New York being significant limiting factors in batting, the move away from the USA could not have come at a better time for Bangladesh batters who will hope that the surfaces in the West Indies will allow them to bat with more freedom.

The Tigers will also take confidence from the fact that they have gone through the most difficult phase in the group with minimal damage as they have a win and a loss against relatively superior sides (Sri Lanka and South Africa) and have Netherlands and Nepal, both of whom are lower down in the rankings, up next.

A win against the Netherlands will put Bangladesh in a favourable position as far as qualification to the Super 8s is concerned as it will allow the Tigers to have progression to the next round in their own hands. With Sri Lanka and Nepal on one point each, Bangladesh, who have two, have the Netherlands as key competition for qualification.

The morning of September 29 must have broken with some harsh light for the Bangladesh cricketers in Dubai and their loyal fans back home. It was much the same on March 23, 2012, when the Asia Cup final against Pakistan was lost in the final ball in Mirpur the night before. But as time wore on in 2012, the pain of defeat gave way to a feeling of accomplishment born from the feeling that Bangladesh cricket had finally broken through and had defeated all but one of their more celebrated neighbours before falling at the final hurdle.

On Friday night, the pain of failure at the final hurdle in the final ball -- this time against India -- haunted the cricketers and cricket lovers once again. Like 2012, this pain too shall pass but there will be a different sense of accomplishment from Asia Cup 2018.

Defeating Sri Lanka in the opener, then Afghanistan and Pakistan in must-win games may sound par for the course for the team fans have come to know since 2012. However, winning two of those matches without talismanic opener Tamim Iqbal and the one against Pakistan without both Tamim and ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is not something that would have been expected. Making the final in the kind of heat they had never experienced before and doing it with setbacks that would have crippled Bangladesh sides of the past marks a new level.

To accomplish that, young players who were part of the support cast -- Liton Das and Mohammad Mithun -- and those who were leaders in waiting but often seemed to need a helping hand -- Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan Miraz -- came to the fore. That, and the tremendous fighting spirit shown by the Tigers throughout the two-week long event -- not least in taking India's chase of 222 down to the final ball on Friday -- will be Bangladesh's biggest takeaway.

"Everyone may think about the 2012 Asia Cup final, but I see it a little differently," Bangladesh opener Tamim had said on September 13, two days before the tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Dubai. "The 2012 Asia Cup was the tournament where we first got the belief that we could beat any team -- that we could be competitive.

"I remember that; not my four fifties or how we lost the final by two runs. I remember how we played as a team and beat teams that no one would have thought we could beat. We beat India and Sri Lanka, and lost two very competitive matches against Pakistan."

Little did Tamim know then that it was his injury two days later, which forced him to fly out of the Asia Cup and back home, that would contribute to this tournament being remembered as the next big step for Bangladesh after 2012.

Since 2012, Bangladesh's graph has trended upward, with occasional dips. But a common feature of that rise has been the people doing the heavy lifting. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad have been the five cricketers who have worked wonders for Bangladesh cricket over much of the last decade.

But this Asia Cup was a departure from the norm because the Bangladesh team do not often do well with setbacks, especially when they have to fight with those setbacks against oppositions perceived to be superior. That happened in this tournament too -- losing the last group game against Afghanistan and the first Super Four match against India in abject fashion were a function of them struggling to overcome the setbacks of losing Tamim, scheduling confusions and having to play three matches in four days in 40-plus degree heat.

The recovery, and the architects of the recovery, will be the source of inspiration for future campaigns. While it is true that there was magical captaincy from Mashrafe, he still had to rely on opener Imrul Kayes to fly in on Saturday night and score a match-winning fifty against Afghanistan on Sunday from number six, rescuing the side in partnership with Mahmudullah from 87 for five. Faced with non-performing opening pairs, Mashrafe took the wildcard decision to open with number eight batsman Mehedi in the final, but the youngster still had to show the courage to be a part of a 120-run opening stand with a sublime Liton. For his part, Liton was the one who had to repay his captain's continued faith, and he did so with a maiden century in the most important game of the tournament.

Mushfiqur was Bangladesh's best batsman in the tournament with scores of 144 in the opening game and 99 against Pakistan. In both those innings, however, Mithun was an indispensable foil with innings of 63 and 60 in century-plus partnerships that rescued Bangladesh from top-order collapses. 

In each of Bangladesh's three wins in the tournament, someone other than the Big Five stepped up and took responsibility. The bowlers, led by Mashrafe, Mustafizur and Mehedi, were consistent throughout and the spirited fielding was the flag-bearer of the team's never-say-die spirit.

 "The positives depend on the individuals. I think losing to India twice was something that I didn't desire. When Shakib and Tamim are back, the team will do well in the future if we can hold on to this spirit," Mashrafe said after the match.

There will certainly be heartbroken fans who will rue another missed opportunity, another last-ball failure. But this tournament showed that the ingredients long craved for outside the Big Five are very much present and the work in progress is waiting for completion with the return of the two big stalwarts.

The takeaway from this latest heartbreak is that it will just be a matter of time before bittersweet gives way to unadulterated joy.

The first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Sylhet was played on a rather pace-friendly wicket, but as the two-match series moves to Chattogram, conditions are expected to be a lot different.

Chattogram usually produces runs, and for Bangladesh, spin has been the weapon of choice at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. However, for the struggling Bangladesh top-order along with the bowlers, it would be about adjusting to changes Chattogram has on the offing.

The condition in the port city is overcast with rain clouds hovering above, but that may not be enough for the Tigers' pace unit to smile about as the temperature and humidity remain challenging.

"Whatever the conditions are, we have to adapt to be flexible to them," Bangladesh assistant coach Nic Pothas, who will be the interim head coach in Chandika Hathurusingha's absence, said in the press conference yesterday.

In the Sylhet Test, especially in the second innings, the Tigers needed to wait for the second new ball to make breakthroughs and even then, spinners did the talking.

With Shakib Al Hasan back, the spin department, also including Mehedi Hasan and Taijul Islam, will be further bolstered. It could also see Bangladesh go with two pacers, and three spinners – a change from the three-pacer and two-spinner combination in Sylhet.

Shakib, who had not bowled a lot of overs against Ireland in the last Test he played over a year ago, will, however, not feel any less confident with the ball in hand as the star all-rounder has been up to speed, thanks to a few outings in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.

Shakib is also the highest wicket-taker in Tests at the ground, scalping 64 wickets in 19 matches. Given the spinners' experience, the Tigers' think tank may feel there is an edge to be exploited given Lankan spinners' relative inexperience. However, how Tigers' batters fare would be a bigger concern.

In Mushfiqur Rahim's absence, Shakib will also offer the touch of experience the Tigers definitely craved in their 328-run drubbing in the Sylhet Test.

The bulk of the runs for Sri Lanka in the Sylhet Test were made by their middle and lower-middle order -- mostly by skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Menis, both of whom struck centuries in each of the innings. Given the form of the Lankans' middle-order, it remains to be seen how much the Tigers spinners can hold sway if the presumption about the Chattogram surface being conducive to spin holds true.

Sparks may also fly. Sri Lanka's Angelo Matthews has not yet attended a press conference in this tour but in Shakib's presence, the 'timed-out' incident from World Cup 2023 which resurfaced in the form of its enactment in the preceding ODI and T20I series, could find new grounds.

"The important thing for us as a management group is to manage the mood of the group and as long as we are level, then we will learn. But we certainly aren't an emotional group and it's not an emotional change room," Pothas said.

Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva expected a batting-friendly wicket. When asked about what kind of intent his side were expecting from Bangladesh, he said: "If they come hard, we will go hard. If they keep calm, we will keep calm."

Regarding Shakib, he said: "Why should I talk about him? He's not in my team."

But from Bangladesh's perspective, Shakib will perhaps be the key to adapt and transform.

Key stats

*Bangladesh have only two wins to their name in 23 Tests at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram. The Tigers have lost 19 and drawn seven. The two wins came against Zimbabwe in 2014 and West Indies in 2018 respectively.

*Shakib Al Hasan holds the record for most wickets taken in Tests at ZACS, with 64 in 19 Tests. The star all-rounder is 22 runs away from completing 1,000 runs at the venue.

*Mominul Haque averages 63.42 at ZACS as he amassed 1205 runs in 22 innings. The left-hander has seven centuries and fifty to his name at the venue and is 25 runs away from 4,000 Test runs.

*Sri Lanka pacer Asitha Fernando picked up a 10-wicket haul in his last Test outing against the Tigers. His effort helped the Lankans to a 10-wicket win in Mirpur in May 2022.

Bangladesh managed to reignite their confidence after winning their opening T20 World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in New York on Saturday. Having come under immense scrutiny in their build-up to the major event, Najmul Hossain Shanto's side seemed to have turned a corner and now eye a place into the Super 8s of the tournament following the thrilling win against the Lankans. With an encounter against South Africa up next, The Daily Star's podcast Pitch Perfect brings you a discussion about Bangladesh's chances to go through to the next stage.

Highlights

*Bangladesh possess a very bleak record against South Africa in T20Is as the Tigers are yet to win a game against the Proteas. The Tigers lost all eight of their encounters.

*Bangladesh have faced South Africa three times in T20 World Cups, suffering convincing defeats each time.

*Bangladesh's 104-run defeat against South Africa in Sydney in the 2022 T20 World Cup is their biggest margin of defeat in the tournament.

*Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar faces the challenge of not achieving the record of registering the most ducks in T20Is. With 13 ducks in 83 innings, Soumya is now tied at the top of the unwanted list with Ireland's Paul Stirling, who also managed the same number of ducks in 143 innings.