Tigers and the 150-barrier

Having suffered a 16-run defeat in the first T20I against the West Indies in Chattogram on Monday, Bangladesh will be looking to keep the three-match series alive with a win in today's second game at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Cricket Stadium.

However, with the T20 World Cup scheduled for February-March next year, the Litton Das-led side must worry about more than just saving the series as they look to stay on course for a fifth successive T20I series victory.

In 2025, Bangladesh won 13 of the 25 T20Is they played, with one match yielding no result. The figures appear even more impressive when considering games where Bangladesh batted second, winning nine and losing six of 15 matches -- a 60 percent success rate.

Although the numbers may look promising, a deeper analysis reveals a worrying trend that could haunt the Tigers in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

During this period, Bangladesh were set targets of over 150 runs on seven occasions, winning only twice. Interestingly, one of those victories came while chasing just 151 against Afghanistan in Sharjah last October.

In essence, whenever the target exceeded 150, Bangladesh struggled. They even failed to chase a modest 136 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup -- a game in which a victory could have taken them to the final of the continental tournament. If anything that loss highlighted was the fact that sometimes, when the stakes are high, the Tigers often fall short even of moderate totals.

After winning the ODI series on a slow, turning Mirpur pitch tailored to their strengths, Litton spoke about welcoming a different challenge in Chattogram, where the wickets tend to play true -- a necessary test ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Litton also broke from the usual post-match diplomacy, publicly criticising Shamim Hossain for his reckless batting in the first ODI against the West Indies. At the presentation, he bluntly said Shamim "can't come and just enjoy batting all the time," urging him to "take responsibility."

While Litton's boldness -- in embracing tougher conditions and calling out a teammate's shortcomings -- deserves appreciation, he must show the same courage in addressing the team's larger issue: Bangladesh's heavy reliance on their bowlers to keep opponents under 150.

At a time when top sides are breaching the 300-run mark and scores around 250 are becoming common even in the shortest format, Bangladesh's struggle to surpass 150 while chasing is almost comical -- but unfortunately, it remains a harsh reality that needs to be addressed if they are to stay competitive in the forthcoming World Cup.