We know T20 is not the forte of Bangladesh cricket though they proved an unbeatable team in ODI at home in 2015. Yet they were expected to white wash Zimbabwe in the recently concluded 4 matches T20 series.

Bangladesh cruised to 2-0 lead after two matches with minimum hiccups. Team must not have broken the winning momentum making 5 changes (in the third match), four were debutants in T20 international and three first timers in international cricket.

Any damn fool even agree that playing the strongest available team barring those injured were the right strategy for the third match for wrapping up the series. Bangladesh gambled and lost it.

The loss by 31 runs in the third match led to Bangladesh losing the winning momentum. Visitors nursed by Dav Whatmore and Marvan Attapatu made Bangladesh digesting sour pills of yet another defeat in the last T20 match.

Zimbabwe deserves all credit for bouncing back admirably and squaring the series 2-2. Bangladesh lost initiative and lost a golden opportunity of winning yet another home series.

Winning or losing is part of two horses’ derby. Zimbabwe is definitely not a team that any team any time can thrash them. Let us admit that the team think tank made too many mistakes.

Sliding back to losing cycle immediately before the all-important Asia Cup to be played for the first time may need a lot of brain storming in regrouping.

Bangladesh is not a team yet to adopt rotating strategy like all conquering Australia. I have seen Aussies rotating their high quality pace attack regularly in ODI. They have a very strong pool top quality pace bowlers. I have not ever seen that even West Indies in it’s hey days bringing 5 changes to its team against any opposition.
 
Who had planned and forced these changes? I am not sure whether Farukh, Nannu and Sumon prescribed these. I cannot even conceive the thought Mashrafe was in the loop. Was it Khaled Mahmud Sujon or Chandika Hathurusingha?

I am sure if pressed the answer would be joint decision. Whoever championed it, it was poor strategy and wrong vision. Consequently, it failed to pay off putting Bangladesh in a very awkward situation.

Why Tamim was dropped? Did he himself wanted resting his legs or shoulders before the third match? When Mustafiz got injured and Al Amin was rested why attack was not boosted with Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny in the third match?

When two mainstays of Bangladesh batting Tamim and Mushfiqur were not available to play why not Nasir Hossain given a much needed match practice? Can we smell some rats? Did Bangladesh gifted opportunity to the visitors to regroup and bounce back.
 
It would be very unkind on four debutants doing Vini Vici Vidi in their very first appearance. Without questioning their quality and talent it must be said that they were thrown into sea with their hands and legs tight in the series deciding third match.

When Zimbabwe batting first set up a very challenging target of 188 to win why premiere batsman Shakib not allowed to bat at his favorite batting position? How can you throw a young debutant Musaddek bat the team out of tight corner?

Playing even Mashrafe as pinch hitter at number four could be much better gamble in a huge chase in the third match. I will blame head coach and Captain for putting their neck for sacrifice.  Nation deserves an explanation from team think tank.

The series win could give tigers big boost. Rather visitors had it and they came out of nightmares that they suffered over the last couple of years. Bangladesh may now find it even very difficult in challenging Afghanistan in Asia Cup.

We want to know about gains from Zimbabwe series. We hope someone in the team management will have the guts to own responsibility of losing the initiative and letting the visitors bouncing back. Perhaps Bangladesh think tank forgot about one person Dav Whatmore who possibly still feels the nerves of Bangladesh team. Who knows better the strength and weakness of each senior member of the team?

A post mortem of the series will reveal that most of the senior player in the team had very limited success in the series. Tamim, Shakib and Mashrafe looked very ordinary in the series.

Mahmudullah played only one innings of substance. On the other hand old foxes Masakadza, Sibanda, Cremer and Waller shined. Masakadza alone was the difference between the two teams.

However, Bangladesh won the first two matches comfortably eventually but Zimbabwe had their moments in both matches. Brilliant Mustafiz and steady Al Amin triggered collapse in Zimbabwe batting. It was unavoidable to leave out injured Mustafiz but why Al Amin was not retained?

Did Mashrafe even bowl better than him? New ball bowling got suddenly much weaker. Zimbabwe top order savagely attacked and raced to a difficult score batting first. With a much-depleted batting resource, Bangladesh should have plotted the right plan for chasing.

Putting some one at the top as pinch hitter at four or letting Shakib bat there in the third match could be ideal.  There were not one many mistakes and all mistakes combined to an embarrassing 31 runs rubbing.

Taskin and Arafat Sunny were brought back in the third match. But the plot was lost by then. The shoulders were dropping and the morale looked sagging while fielding again first in the third matches.

Brilliant Maskadza exploited the situation. Bangladesh played another poor match. It is very difficult to digest the result that Bangladesh finished the series 2-2 with Zimbabwe, which in the recent past was humiliated by Afghanistan.

We hope Bangladesh will assess the real competence of the team in T20 format Bangladesh is at rock bottom among test playing countries in ICC ranking. It will be a huge challenge in Asia Cup and for them qualifying to super ten in World T20 will be very difficult.

We hope team will be motivated properly in the next few weeks. Can we take risk of Shakib, Tamim and Mushfique getting injured in PCL? I will never recommend allowing our precious possession playing in PCL or IPL. 

Another matter looks embarrassing in every match. Why so many faces have to show up at award giving ceremony after every match? Does not it look disgusting? One price is handed over by three. Ridiculous.

So long Bangladesh is in winning cycle many wrong doings of the team will remain buried but when it gets back to losing bad breadth may be surfaced.

BDST: 0931 HRS, JAN 24, 2016
RS