Fading ODI reputation reflecting major fall

When it comes to Bangladesh cricket, finding flaws and shortcomings through examining stats and figures is disconcertingly easy.

For years, the one thing that Bangladesh had going for them in cricket was their ODI pedigree -- a format in which the Tigers from time to time stood toe to toe with the big boys.

Could the same be said now?

In the other two formats -- Tests and T20Is -- Bangladesh have had sporadic successes, but never looked convincing. It was through ODIs that Bangladesh first made a mark in the sport -- from winning the 1997 ICC Trophy to qualifying for the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals and the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinals.

A cursory look through Bangladesh's ODI stats in the last few years shows how far they have fallen in the format that first brought them to the fore in the world of cricket -- a glaring decline that also reflects the overall downward trajectory of cricket in the country.

Bangladesh succumbed to their third consecutive bilateral ODI series defeat on Tuesday when the Mehidy Hasan Miraz-led side surrendered by 99 runs to Sri Lanka in the third and final match in Pallekele, conceding the series 2-1.

This loss follows a 2-1 defeat against Afghanistan in the UAE in November last year and a 3-0 clean-sweep against the West Indies in the Caribbean a month later.

With the one match the Tigers managed to win in Sri Lanka, the second ODI, Bangladesh broke a seven-match losing streak in the format.

The last time Bangladesh had such a lengthy winless streak in ODIs was during a seven-month period in 2014, when the Tigers lost 12 of the 13 ODIs they played, with one match yielding no result.

From then on, Bangladesh enjoyed a splendid run -- losing just four in their next 24 games, with wins that included home series triumphs over Pakistan, India, and South Africa, alongside knocking out England from the 2015 World Cup.

Will the Tigers be able to stage such a comeback this time too?

Looking at how the team has been operating, the odds seem slim.

During that purple patch, Bangladesh seemed to have cracked the code in ODIs, with a core set of players, namely Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, and skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza having a clear mindset on how to go about things during each phase of a 50-over match.

With the 'Big Five' of Bangladesh cricket gone, the players who played the complementary roles during that period are now in charge and unfortunately, they are seemingly not in tune about the demands of 50-over cricket at the moment.

The likes of captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, and Taskin Ahmed should already be in a shape, or at least show signs of having their own philosophy of how to run things, at least in this one format.

But could any particular brand, or a philosophy, be unearthed from the modus operandi of Miraz and Co in the recent Sri Lanka series?

The team looked out of sorts for the most part even during their lone win in the series as that game also had almost slipped out of their hands in the final overs.

When skipper Miraz churned out worn out excuses like leading a "young team" and needing "more time" after the Sri Lanka series, it indicated that even after possessing around a decade of experience in international cricket, he does not realise where they have gone wrong.

This lack of clarity, which is evident in other experienced players too, points to a clear failure in the transition process, a failure that has thumped Bangladesh, a team that once looked to be making their way up in the format, back to square one in ODIs.