Bangladesh: Improving?

[Mister Wright]

I have been following Bangladesh's scorecards recently and have noticed they have been far from disgraced on their tour of Sri Lanka. In the test matches they got themselves into some good positions, and having Sri Lanka 5-6 is a mighty effort.

Although they aren't winning games, they are finding themselves in winning positions or battling hard not to be thrashed. Surely these are good signs and with more experience they may turn these winning positions into wins. Or maybe this is just a once off, and after this tour they will go back to their old getting thrashed ways.

 

[Atreyu]

They have improved greatly over the last year or two. I just said it in the Tri series thread, Bangla get teams into such great positions then just can't finish it off

Bangla vs Aussies in the ODI's
Bangla vs NZ in the Test. Letting NZ chase 300odd with only 3 wickets down.
And then the Sri Lankan Match.

 

[krkode]

I have been following Bangladesh's scorecards recently and have noticed they have been far from disgraced on their tour of Sri Lanka. In the test matches they got themselves into some good positions, and having Sri Lanka 5-6 is a mighty effort.

Although they aren't winning games, they are finding themselves in winning positions or battling hard not to be thrashed. Surely these are good signs and with more experience they may turn these winning positions into wins. Or maybe this is just a once off, and after this tour they will go back to their old getting thrashed ways.

Hopefully they don't revert. I think it will be some time before they are a winning test team yet, but as an ODI side I feel like they could really put some dents in the other teams.

That said, I'm surprised this happened to Sri Lanka. I would've thought such a thing quite possible with India or Pakistan, who often get upset by weaker teams due to complacency or whatever, but Sri Lanka used to be the quintessential minnow basher side. High score of 443... bowling sides out for 38, 8-wicket ODI haul, etc. etc.

And the best sign of all seems to be Shakib. The guy really looks like someone who can rise to the occasion and seize the game, so to speak. Bangladesh need someone like that given the relative weakness of their cricketing side and infrastructure.

 

[Uppercut]

Although they aren't winning games, they are finding themselves in winning positions or battling hard not to be thrashed. Surely these are good signs and with more experience they may turn these winning positions into wins. Or maybe this is just a once off, and after this tour they will go back to their old getting thrashed ways.

I disagree with this. Rarely have i seen a sports team where the heads drop so quickly when things aren't looking good.

In ODIs, they've improved quite a bit on the side of, say, five years ago- even if it is currently almost exclusively down to one man. They still haven't got the hang of test match batting by any means though, and if the best you can say about them is "they sometimes find themselves in winning positions" then you're unintentionally damning them with faint praise. I think there could be a hangover from the ICL exodus too. At the moment it looks like a blessing in disguise but how things are now there's a chance they could be forced to field some absolutely dire cricketers in the future.

 

[popepouri]

Their middle order is not bad and Mortaza and Shakib are competent especially the latter. Their top 4 are dire though. If they find a good opener, number 3 and another fine bowler, I think they could be a handful for any side. I have do doubt they will find some gem out there soon.

 

[Woodster]

They are getting into these so-called winning positions, but as soon as a partnership begins to form or a couple of wickets fall, an element of 'here we go again' creeps in. They do not have experiences of winning Test matches, they having nothing in terms of prior situations where they have won games, to call on. It is this total lack of knowing how to win that is harming their progression.

There is ability there for everyone to see. Shakib is a fine example, but these guys need the confidence of winning cricket matches over 4 and 5 days, which is why I'm hugely in favour of them competing in one-day international cricket, where they can still spring a surprise over 50 overs, but not playing in full Test matches, and alternatively if it is viable, competing against Test nations 'A' teams. Not only will they will still be competing at a high level against the majority of top nations, but they may gain the confidence of some victories, yet they will still be hard earned.

 

[tooextracool]

Sri Lanka arent exactly a very good team. If it werent for Mendis, they'd struggle to routintely win series against the likes of England and Bangladesh. I dont see how playing well against them means that they have improved, especially when they are playing on their own turf where they have always been more competitive than away.

 

[Uppercut]

Sri Lanka arent exactly a very good team.

Beat India a few months back. Comprehensively.

 

[andruid]

They are getting into these so-called winning positions, but as soon as a partnership begins to form or a couple of wickets fall, an element of 'here we go again' creeps in. They do not have experiences of winning Test matches, they having nothing in terms of prior situations where they have won games, to call on. It is this total lack of knowing how to win that is harming their progression.

There is ability there for everyone to see. Shakib is a fine example, but these guys need the confidence of winning cricket matches over 4 and 5 days, which is why I'm hugely in favour of them competing in one-day international cricket, where they can still spring a surprise over 50 overs, but not playing in full Test matches, and alternatively if it is viable, competing against Test nations 'A' teams. Not only will they will still be competing at a high level against the majority of top nations, but they may gain the confidence of some victories, yet they will still be hard earned.

Or alternately playing 'B Tests' against Associates with ODI status. Would certailnly help the 'Deshis confidence and give the associates better preparation for those instance they actually have to play full members

 

[tooextracool]

Beat India a few months back. Comprehensively.

I was actually referring more to their ODI side than their test side, but nonetheless that is applicable to both their sides. If anyone honestly believes that Sri Lanka would have won that test series without Mendis' 26 wickets at 18.38, he doesnt deserve to post on this forum IMO.

Their ODI side lost to India 3-2 and that was with a bowler who took 13 wickets @ 11.69 at 3.49 ER. That really takes something to accomplish and goes to show how poor the rest of the side is. Lets not forget that the side is so bad, that they are still hanging on to a 40 year old opener by a thread simply because there is no real replacement. Jayasuriya's average since the last world cup is an absolute joke (especially if you exclude the Asia cup), he shouldnt really be playing for any side at this point.

 

[tooextracool]

Or alternately playing 'B Tests' against Associates with ODI status. Would certailnly help the 'Deshis confidence and give the associates better preparation for those instance they actually have to play full members

Ideally, if ICC didnt celebrate Christmas 9 years ago with Bangladesh, thats where they should have been the whole time. Personally think they might have been a better side at this point.

 

[Uppercut]

I was actually referring more to their ODI side than their test side, but nonetheless that is applicable to both their sides. If anyone honestly believes that Sri Lanka would have won that test series without Mendis' 26 wickets at 18.38, he doesnt deserve to post on this forum IMO.

Bah, you can say that about any team. South Africa would never have won in either England or Australia without Graeme Smith's absolutely crucial contributions.

Their ODI side lost to India 3-2 and that was with a bowler who took 13 wickets @ 11.69 at 3.49 ER. That really takes something to accomplish and goes to show how poor the rest of the side is. Lets not forget that the side is so bad, that they are still hanging on to a 40 year old opener by a thread simply because there is no real replacement. Jayasuriya's average since the last world cup is an absolute joke (especially if you exclude the Asia cup), he shouldnt really be playing for any side at this point.

There was a heavy element of toss-wins-match in the day-nighters Sri Lanka lost. There were a lot of stats about particular grounds wheeled out at the time. But yeah, their ODI side has gone downhill since the world cup (still won the Asia cup though!). Their test side is still a nightmare to face at home but doesn't travel well. Not much has changed there.

 

[tooextracool]

Bah, you can say that about any team. South Africa would never have won in either England or Australia without Graeme Smith's absolutely crucial contributions..

I think the point is that if SA were to play without Smith, they would still be one of the best teams in the world. If Sri Lanka were to play without Mendis, the quality of the team would fall drastically and thats the point I am trying to make here.

There was a heavy element of toss-wins-match in the day-nighters Sri Lanka lost. There were a lot of stats about particular grounds wheeled out at the time. But yeah, their ODI side has gone downhill since the world cup (still won the Asia cup though!). Their test side is still a nightmare to face at home but doesn't travel well. Not much has changed there.

I am not sure about the statistics of those performances. I am going by how I rate their players. Their best batter is averaging 35, the captain averages 32, their most experienced batter and arguably their best batter ever averages a shade under 33 and the rest would be flattered to average close to those guys. As far as the bowling is concerned, ignoring Mendis, the future is hardly promising with the likes of Vaas being 35 and Murali being nearly 37. Say what you want, but give me the likes of Ian Bell and Stuart Broad over most of these players any day of the week.

 

[krkode]

Thing is, I don't think Sri Lanka have ever had a good team on paper. They are statistically a good team even if their players don't statistically compare well with the rest of the world. They've never had an ODI batsman averaging over 40 (let alone 35) and besides Murali and possibly Vaas, their bowling has always been substandard. Yet they were a good ODI unit because they somehow managed to make ends meet. I don't know why, but compare the star power of India with Sri Lanka - yet the two teams have an almost identical ODI record in recent years.

I always imagined SL to be a bit like New Zealand when it came to ODIs. They don't have that great of a team on paper, i.e. their batting averages tend to be low, bowling averages high, with a handful of exceptions. But somehow they still manage to be a decent ODI unit. Unlike India and Pakistan who have (or had) the stars to be world beaters but somehow didn't manage it.

 

[Corbin]

As previously said they just lack the experience to finish off matches with the few exceptions it'll still be a few years till they are capable of knocking off NZ or the West Indies in a Test series.

I think currently is it detrimental to the side that the key members of Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan all really look to push the side into a new era and recognize just how important their role in the side is in the next 2-3 years. This goes with saying that players such as Junaid Siddique and co really need stamp down their selections with a consistent period of time with some solid performances to really give Bangladesh the correct team balance and platform needed to perform at especially Test level. This will therefore enable them to accommodate players of such incredible young ages of around the 19-23 ages and the associated inexperience with a lot of players having very little FC and List A games under the belt that is clearly present within the side.

 

[pup11]

Bangers were just recently beaten by Zimbabwe, so that pretty much sums it up how much they are improving, their recent performances against Sri Lanka are more indicative of the fact that standards of Sri Lankan crikcet are taking a nose-dive, as its just because of blokes like Sanga, Mendis and Murali, they are managing to stay afloat.

 

[HawkEye000]

Bangladesh defeated Sri lanka comprehensively in the league match and just marginally lost the final. In their last ODI series at home against New Zealand, Bangladesh won the first ODI but went on to lose the series 2-1. So in the last 5 ODI home matches against the Top 8 teams, Bangladesh have won 2 of them which gives them a 40% win ratio which isn't bad at all.Within a couple of years Bangladesh can match sides like New Zealand, Sri lanka, England, West Indies in ODIs.

 

[Mister Wright]

Awta.

 

[Arjun]

I am never too impressed with this team. Bangladesh have had one win and everyone thinks they've improved a lot. However, that one win has often come against a top team that's in deep trouble, and basically, falling apart. We've seen the 'Deshis fall flat again when playing against a team doing well, and again fall to sub-standard levels that have experts and fans alike calling for their demotion to associate status yet again. It's some kind of circle, and it's happened time and again. Yes, they have had some star players like Bashar, Ashraful, Kapali and Mortoza, but it takes one bad series to turn them all into problem cases. Mortoza, their strike bowler, was once hyped as an emerging all-rounder, and now he can't even take enough wickets to hold back a batting side.

 

[Uppercut]

I am not sure about the statistics of those performances. I am going by how I rate their players. Their best batter is averaging 35, the captain averages 32, their most experienced batter and arguably their best batter ever averages a shade under 33 and the rest would be flattered to average close to those guys. As far as the bowling is concerned, ignoring Mendis, the future is hardly promising with the likes of Vaas being 35 and Murali being nearly 37. Say what you want, but give me the likes of Ian Bell and Stuart Broad over most of these players any day of the week.

Prasad>>>>Broad in terms of potential tbh.