Captain Miraz under scanner
In the past 12 months, Bangladesh have twice experienced a complete reversal in T20I and ODI fortunes in the same tour -- first against West Indies in the Caribbean in December last year, and then against Afghanistan in the recently concluded series in the UAE.
In both tours, the Tigers won the T20I series 3-0 but got thrashed in the 50-over format by the same margin.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The 3-0 drubbing against the Afghans, especially the 200-run defeat in the dead rubber third match, was surprising, considering majority of the players who stared in the T20I triumph were present in the ODI setup too.
The only notable change in the two squads was the name of the captain: in T20Is it was the stand-in skipper Jaker Ali, while in the ODIs it was Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Miraz had also led the side against West Indies as a stand-in skipper after regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto fell injured.
In the Caribbean, the Tigers failed miserably under Miraz in ODIs but in the following T20I series, triumphed with Litton Das as captain.
Miraz would get the ODI captaincy on an official basis ahead of the Sri Lanka tour in June, where the Tigers won the T20I series 2-1 but their ODI form and application was dismal, leading to a 2-1 series loss.
The series defeat to Afghanistan means Miraz has lost three ODI series on the trot as captain, at a time when the team has done reasonably well in T20Is.
Former national captain Khaled Mahmud Sujon pointed out instances where Miraz fell short as an on-field tactician against Afghanistan and also criticised the ODI side for its lack of resourcefulness.
"We are not even scoring 250 now and don't think they have crossed 200 this series. In modern cricket you need to keep on innovating," Mahmud said.
"I don't think they played to win. When Bangladesh got back into the match with the ball [in third ODI], knowing that [Mohammad] Nabi is weaker against pace, Hasan [Mahmud] should have been brought on earlier. Even though Hasan went for runs, he has good yorkers.
"It was difficult to play Saif [Hassan] in that wicket. Even though he is a part-timer, he did get Bangladesh back into the game. He could have used him for two-three more overs. Miraz should have shown that confidence. I didn't like that," he added.
Miraz has been a key player against Afghanistan over the years for his ability to play their spinners. In the recent series, however, he made just 70 runs in three outings, and it contributed to the batting order crumbling like a house of cards.
Many believe that how the captaincy changed hands from Shanto to Miraz in June created the platform for the current climate in the ODI side.
But Mahmud argued, "I don't think you can excuse away the results because of how the captaincy was changed. Definitely how it [captaincy change] happened confused the team and sent a wrong message to the players that anyone can take the captain's role at any time. Captaincy is not a musical chair."
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