Bangladesh’s cricketing twelve months in 2024 has been without a doubt one of contrasts, defined by moments of brilliance overshadowed by routine lapses.
A determined pattern has emerged: the team in total flourishes when expectations are low, but struggles under the burden of being favourites.
This pattern, whereas offering glimpses of doable, furthermore raises serious concerns earlier than main tournaments like the Champions Trophy in 2025.
The twelve months began with a disheartening open, as Bangladesh suffered defeats to Sri Lanka in each the Check and T20 codecs at dwelling. These results had been disappointing, severely on condition that the Tigers had been anticipated to fare better against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side.
Despite batting-friendly pitches, Bangladesh crossed 200 most efficient once across four Check innings, a stark reminder of their incapacity to capitalise on familiar prerequisites.
These performances stood in stark distinction to their resilience in December 2023, when they held Contemporary Zealand to a 1-1 Check series design. In that series, Bangladesh had been no longer under tension to originate, facing a bold Contemporary Zealand side that had good won the World Check Championship.
The underdog model perceived to liberate the Tigers, allowing them to proper a commanding 150-poke victory in Sylhet and nearly snatch the second Check if no longer for Glenn Phillips’ brilliance.
The same pattern continued in the T20 series against the US, the effect Bangladesh had been anticipated to dominate but suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat. This marked the US’s first-ever series procure against a Check-playing nation, exposing the Tigers’ vulnerability when playing as favourites.
On the opposite hand, when the T20 World Cup got here around, the fable shifted once more. Entering with minimal expectations after the US debacle, Bangladesh displayed admirable fight.
They secured wins against Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Netherlands, and even pushed eventual runners-up South Africa in a sharp showcase.
But, when stakes had been best possible in the Smooth 8 conflict against Afghanistan, the team faltered. Despite a bold open by Litton Das, the dash unravelled with a walk of dot balls and a lack of intent from senior gamers like Mahmudullah Riyad, culminating in an eight-poke loss and the tip of their marketing campaign.
A transient length of redemption got here in the Check series against Pakistan, the effect Bangladesh disturbed the cricketing world with a 2-0 series procure in Pakistan’s backyard. This triumph, marked by grit and resilience, saw the Tigers outperform the hosts in run-friendly prerequisites.
The first Check was once won convincingly after Pakistan’s declaration, and the second featured a story-breaking partnership between Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, rescuing the team from 26 for 6 to proper a historical series victory. This series will tear down as without a doubt one of Bangladesh’s biggest Check achievements, however the momentum did no longer final prolonged.
In India, Bangladesh faced a fact take a look at, losing each Check suits in one-sided trend despite carrying self belief from their success in Pakistan. Lend a hand dwelling, their fortunes didn’t make stronger as they had been outplayed by South Africa in a Check series the effect the guests secured a dominant 2-0 procure, including an innings victory in Chattogram.
This was once severely disappointing given the Proteas’ wretched story in subcontinental prerequisites recently.
The ODI structure, once Bangladesh’s strongest swimsuit, furthermore introduced more frustrations than pleasure. A surprising series loss to Afghanistan at dwelling extra dented their morale, and their performances in the West Indies most efficient deepened concerns.
After a sharp second-Check procure by 101 runs to level the series, the Tigers suffered a surprising 3-0 ODI whitewash at the fingers of the West Indies. This end result was once a enormous blow, given Bangladesh’s dominance over the Caribbean side in ODIs over the final decade.
The timing of this defeat is alarming, coming good months before the Champions Trophy, the effect expectations will once more be on the rise.
Bangladesh’s struggles under tension lengthen beyond 2024. Within the 2023 ODI World Cup, the effect they entered with main optimism after years of consistency in the structure, the Tigers executed a adversarial eighth out of ten teams.
Wins against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka had been overshadowed by controversies, including the fallout between Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, and erratic performances on the self-discipline. The complications, each inner and external, like continued to love an impact on the team’s ability to stay as a lot as expectations.
The 3-0 whitewash in the Caribbean serves as a stark warning. The team must address key weaknesses in the occasion that they are to manual clear of repeating the identical mistakes.
A routine incapacity to handle tension in crunch moments suggests a lack of mental preparedness, whereas an overreliance on particular person brilliance has made them vulnerable in team-centric challenges.
To decrease loose from this cycle, Bangladesh must embrace expectations in preference to timid away from them.
