Team Tigers were on a roll over the first three matches of the ongoing Rocket Tri Nation ODI tournament. Zimbabwe twice and Sri Lanka in the first could not even create any contest. 

But matters completely turned around in the second match when it not only lost by huge margin of 10 wickets but astonishing got bundled out for the lowest score of the tournament. Well it can happen once in a blue moon for any team any day. But this loss of momentum may hurt Bangladesh pretty badly when they meet Sri Lanka again in the final on Saturday. I am sure team management would have their own analysis. But this unbelievable dismal performance was completely unacceptable to adoring tiger followers. 

Did team tigers get complacent? Did all the players lost focus and concentration at the same time? Top 5 senior players failed to deliver together on the day and Bangladesh looked like the team of 1970s. This writer on the other appreciated performance of team tigers over the first three matches  in electronic media revisiting the horror memory of a match in late 1970s in Faridpur when Bangladesh got all out twice against Sri Lanka on a day. Now have to eat my own words after history being repeated yesterday of that horror experience. Hope this was one off only and won’t be repeated again soon.

We all are aware that no formal announcement has been made yet about the head coach after former Head Coach Chndika Hathurusingha left almost like a FUGITIVE. Khaled Mahmood Director BCB is looking after the affairs. BCB informally announced that Mashrafe and Shakib would mentor the team in addition to their own responsibility as players. BCB always surprises. BCB appeared flattered after brilliant Team Tigers performance over the first three matches. But the last match must have brought the flying high BCB officials down on earth.

Acceptable that Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiq, Mahmudullah can have one bad day with the bat. But why all batsmen in the very strong Bangladesh line up failed so miserably on the same day?  Did they have any food poisoning upsetting the tummies of players hurrying them back to the dressing room? The wicket had no demons. It was just a very poor batting performance. Once Bijoy, Tamim and Shakib failed to deliver the entire team collapsed. Some hints of poor batting was given in the previous match against Zimbabwe when after Tamim and Shakib superlative batting collapsed to mere 216/9 .Bangladesh bounced back with brilliant bowling . But on the day there were no excuses of poor batting when 9 players failed to reach double digits even. Bijoy, Mahmudullah, Sabbir and co failed again. None should expect that Tamim, Shakib and Mushfiq would sore 50s or more in every match. Every player in a good team has to deliver when required. 

Bangladesh just can not answer any question of their poor performance on the day.
We think Anamul Bijoy has failed to justify his inclusion in the squad after a long time. Mahmudullah, Sabbir and Nasir are completely out of form. We are not sure Bangladesh would risk playing Mithun or any other players in the final. Hope the memory of the horror match would be forgotten soon and team tigers would tweet back. The five wonderfully gifted seniors would bounce back. 

There is nothing to write about Bangladesh in the match. It was all about Bangladesh gifting the match to its former coach Hathuru mentored Sri Lanka. It was a tonic, a moral booster to the visitors before the all important final. 

I was mentioning all along that Bangladesh is not developing quality players in the shadow of five quality seniors. Local cricket is not getting priority attention. Performers are not being evaluated. Players are not be prepared for a situation when seniors would eventually retire. Yesterday’s performance was a stark reminder.

Unfortunately this writer would be in the aircraft on way to Melbourne Australia when ball will be rolling at SBNCS on the day. Can only wish Tigers well and hope by the team I reach my sweet Melbourne home happy news would wait for me to write about. It will be natural injustice to Mashrafee squad not winning the tournament.

BDST: 0915 HRS, JAN 26, 2018
SI