USA masterclass a lesson for Tigers

Pitting two associate teams in the opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup, even though one of them were co-hosts USA, was a risk as there was always a chance that the tournament would start with a whimper.

However, yesterday's USA-Canada match proved to be an ideal tournament opener, with both teams showing intent with the bat, providing plenty of T20 entertainment for the fans with the hosts in the end coming out on top.

Only the most ardent of cricket fans from this part of the world tuned in to watch the match which began at 6:30 am Bangladesh time, and were treated to an excellent game of T20, unlike what they had to go through the previous night in Bangladesh's warm-up game against India.

In the World Cup opener in Texas, Canada posted 194-5 after being sent to bat first, a seemingly daunting target for the USA, whose previous highest-ever chase in T20Is was 169 against the same opponents.

USA's chase was in the doldrums eight overs in, with only 48 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets.

But then began the Aaron Jones show, as the USA batter along with his partner Andries Gous lit the Grand Prairie Stadium on fire, as the hosts made 120 runs off the next six overs to flip the script on the Canadians.

Jones, especially, wreaked havoc against the Canadians, hitting as many as 10 sixes and remaining unbeaten on 94 off 40 balls, powering the hosts to the target with seven wickets and 14 balls to spare.

The USA-Canada game was a clash between two sides who played the game with the same positive intent, with the Americans outdoing their neighbours, unlike the clash between Bangladesh and India, which was clearly a mismatch.

In the warm-up match, which took place in the newly built Nassau County Stadium in New York, Bangladesh suffered a 60-run defeat against India, making only 122-8 chasing 183.

Although the match in itself was inconsequential, as it was not recognised as a T20I and both teams fielded more than 11 players, Bangladesh's batting was an eyesore, devoid of any positive intent with the exception of Mahmudullah's 28-ball 40.

After losing three wickets for 10 runs, it never seemed like Bangladesh could get anywhere near the target, even though India captain Rohit Sharma used just two overs of Jasprit Bumrah, didn't complete the quotas of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja and used three overs of part-timer Shivam Dube, who took 2-13.

The Tigers failed to bat positively in a match where there were no stakes, while associate teams like the USA, who just last month handed Bangladesh a 2-1 series defeat, and Canada displayed positive intent and fearless cricket that the Bangladesh players and coaches often talk about.

Even after the defeat against India, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke about having faith in their capabilities in T20s, even though barring some series wins at home and one away series win against the West Indies in 2018, the Tigers have nothing to show for in T20Is.

Every metric indicates a clear dearth of ability alongside a lack of intent in the Bangladesh team when it comes to T20s. It's high time for the players and the management to put their heads out of the sand and acknowledge it.