Pressure mounting on depleted Bangla top-order

The spree of Bangladesh’s batting failures continued as they once again failed to get their team across the line in a crucial encounter. 

The last three years have seen Bangladesh’s ODI losses predominantly follow two scenarios - they would either get to a below-par total, and their bowlers would still manage to make a match out of it, even winning them on occasions. Or, their bowlers would manage to restrict opponents to a chaseable total, and their batters would bottle it up more often than not. 

“We needed a 80-100 run partnership to chase this. Our top four didn't get enough runs.”

“We lost early wickets in the start and played some ordinary shots.”

“Very poor batting display on a surface like this, but we have to move on to the next one.”

“Our batting has been a bit hot and cold. We need to be more consistently.”

“We need to take more responsibility to put in a better batting effort.“

Shakib Al Hasan’s broken record would have been funny if it weren’t true. At the risk of stating the obvious, Bangla batters have just not been able to match their bowlers toe to toe. Barring the two tons, their top 4 have managed just one fifty-plus score in the 10 innings they have played in this Asia Cup.

So far, Bangladesh have lost three out of the four games they've played, thanks to their underperforming batters. The one game where they did end up on the winning side was thanks to twin tons from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto against Afghanistan. Notwithstanding Mehidy’s recent induction at the top and Litton Das’ return to the team, Bangladesh's batters have been bundled out for 164, 193, and 236. 

So devoid of runs has their lineup been that it almost feels like an eternity ago when their batters continually punched above their weight against top-tier teams in international cricket. Their batters’ powerplay numbers in the last couple of years is a fair indication of their repeated struggles to get some runs against the new ball. 

From averaging 40 and striking at 89 in 2019 to seeing them dip to 31 and 82, respectively, Bangladesh's top 4 have taken a massive hit to their reputation. 

But what has caused this decline?

To begin with, Tamim Iqbal. The southpaw has been an integral part of the Tigers for the better part of the last 15 years or so. His conspicuous absence has left a massive hole up top, with several options being tried out. 

Not that he was dropped unceremoniously - his affair with injuries and his lack of form have only added to their woes. While there’s only so much one can do about the former, the latter has been their more pressing issue. His average of 26.6 and strike rate of 74.9 in 2023 are his second and third lowest in the last decade. 

The Bangla side’s dependence on Tamim can be seen in their success whenever the opener has performed. In losses, he's scored over 3,000 runs at a modest average of 25.4 and a strike rate of 72.1. On the other hand, his contributions to Bangla wins have been a lot more pronounced. Over 5,000 runs while averaging 50.6 and striking at 83.2 is proof of that. 

Also, he has the best average (min 3 ODIs) of all openers that have represented Bangladesh in the last five calendar years.

That’s not all. Their top-order batters have faced another unique problem. While most teams struggle with an RHB-heavy batting lineup, it’s been the other way round for Bangladesh. They have far too many LHBs for their liking, and they have tried to mitigate this by promoting the likes of Litton and Mehidy. In fact, seven of the 11 opening options they’ve tried since 2018 have been left-handers. 

This unidimensional approach has made it easier for opposition bowlers to bowl certain lengths repeatedly and get into a rhythm. It’s no surprise that, in the last three years, over 85% of their LHBs’ dismissals in the powerplay have been against pacers. 

The unavailability of several first XI options, including Litton, Najmul, Tamim, etc., has further exacerbated this. Unfortunately, the backups they’ve brought in their place have not been able to plug the holes. 

Anamul Haque, Mohammad Naim, and Tanzid Hassan - Among the backup options Bangladesh have at their disposal, Anamul averages the highest (30.5) and is yet to be given some game time in Sri Lanka. Naim and Tanzid are both extremely inexperienced and playing them a month before the World Cup is not something Bangladesh fans would be too keen on. 

Anamul's right-handedness and the fact that he's the most experienced among the three should help get at least a game in Bangladesh's remaining two Asia Cup fixtures. 

With Najmul and Tamim's presence in the World Cup still up in the air, it remains to be seen as to how Bangladesh go about trying to solve their top-order conundrum.