"Ben Duckett cost them [England] the game… scored too slow, mate… they should have got to at least 380," former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs said about Duckett's innings after England lost their Champions Trophy opener against Australia in Lahore last Saturday, despite posting 351 for eight -- the highest total in the competition's history -- only for Australia to chase it down with five wickets and 15 balls to spare.

The fact that Duckett's 143-ball 165 was deemed "too slow" speaks volumes about how the demands of modern cricket have changed.

And this is where Bangladesh cricket appears to have lost the plot. Their approach to ODIs not only reflects a lack of understanding of the game's current demands but also highlights their inability to adapt to a sport that has become increasingly fast-paced over the past decade, regardless of format.

The Tigers entered the Champions Trophy with hopes of winning the championship but have already been eliminated after suffering comprehensive defeats in both of their matches, against India and New Zealand.

Bangladesh have played a total of 340 dot balls in the two matches in the Champions Trophy so far -- the most by any team in the competition.

However, it is not the fact that 56.67 per cent of the overall deliveries faced by the Tigers have resulted in non-scoring shots that weighed Najmul Hossain Shanto and his team down. More importantly, modern cricket demands the ability to make up for the dots in a way that renders them insignificant in the broader picture -- New Zealand set the prime example when they posted 320 runs in their 60-run victory over hosts Pakistan in the tournament opener despite playing 140 dot balls, just 19 fewer than what Bangladesh had when they managed only 228 against India.

In the 11 ODIs they have played over the past 12 months, Bangladesh have batted first on eight occasions but could only cross the 300-run mark just once -- and even then, it was in a losing cause against the West Indies in St Kitts in December 2024.

All seven other teams participating in the Champions Trophy played more than 10 matches during the same period and reached the 300-run threshold at least twice. England, the pioneers of the 'Bazball' style of aggressive cricket, made north of 300 the most times -- on six occasions.

These numbers reveal a clear shift in ODI strategy, a transformation that began over a decade ago.

The old tactic of keeping wickets in hand for a late flourish is no longer viable. The ODI format, reinvigorated by the innovation of T20 and T10 cricket, now demands scoring at an even greater pace than Duckett's strike rate of 115.38 when the pitch, conditions, and match situation allow for it.

At a time when innings like Duckett's are criticised for not being aggressive enough, Towhid Hridoy's 118-ball 100 (against India) and captain Shanto's 110-ball 77 (against New Zealand) are bound to go unnoticed.

Hence, a team that continues to repeat such outdated patterns of play is inevitably bound to be cast aside -- just as former India batter Virender Sehwag outright dismissed any chance of the Tigers winning against India.