There was considerable scepticism about Bangladesh's home T20I series against Zimbabwe, particularly as it was seen as a chance for the Tigers to test their strength before heading to the USA and the West Indies for the ICC T20 World Cup in June.
Doubts were cast over the benefits of playing a five-match T20I series against a team that failed to qualify for the major event, having lost to Uganda and Namibia in the qualifiers last November.
The scepticism and questions about the team's preparation were hardly surprising, given the Tigers' disappointing performance in the last two T20 World Cups—securing victories only against the lower-ranked Netherlands and Zimbabwe in 2022, and enduring a humiliating defeat to Scotland the year before. A vulnerable batting show led Bangladesh’s downfall finally as they tasted a thumping eight-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe in the fifth and final T20 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The defeat eventually ruined their hopes to sweep a five-match series for the first time in this format in their history. Bangladesh somehow escaped a defeat despite a consistent abysmal batting display in the past four matches largely due to Zimbabwe's mediocre batting. But when Zimbabwe's batting clicked finally, the result was inevitable.
However, once the series commenced, there was no longer any point in dwelling on the calibre of the opposition—particularly for the players. It then became about how effectively the opportunity could be used to prepare in the best possible manner for the T20 World Cup, focusing on the style of cricket the team intends to play and their strategy.
Nonetheless, the importance of cultivating a "winning habit" leading into a World Cup—a concept that proved counterproductive for Bangladesh in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, where victories in home series against Australia and New Zealand prior to the tournament did little to aid the team during the actual competition.
Bangladesh’s style of cricket in T20I is never up to the mark, but an analysis of the five T20Is played in this series reveals nothing but concerning signs for the Tigers.
The eight-wicket triumph in the first match belies how Clive Madande and Wellington Masakadza set a record eighth-wicket partnership for Zimbabwe, and the second-highest in T20Is overall, negating the excellent early work by Bangladesh's bowlers who had reduced the visitors to 41 for seven, nearly setting a record for Zimbabwe's lowest-ever score.
The second T20I saw the bowlers somewhat replicate the first game's pattern—claiming wickets early on but allowing Zimbabwe's lower-order batsmen to thrive and post a modest total—and the top-order batsmen delivering subdued performances, leaving the middle-order to salvage a routine 139-run chase.
The stakes became alarmingly high in the last two T20Is, with Bangladesh scraping through by nine runs in the third match and a mere five runs in the fourth.
In the fourth T20I match, Bangladesh's highly unstable batting order was laid bare. In an unusual occurrence, the new opening duo of Soumya, stepping in for the out-of-form Litton Das, and Tanzid Tamim managed a 101-run opening partnership at a rapid pace. However, rather than building on this start and setting a formidable total, Bangladesh collapsed, losing their last nine wickets for just 42 runs, finishing at 143.
This serves as evidence that, at times when even scores above 270 are feasible—as seen in the current Indian Premier League—Bangladesh's batsmen's ceiling remains what was standard roughly a decade ago in the shortest format.
The cricket displayed by the Tigers only adds to the concerns ahead of the T20 mega event. In addition, even a 5-0 whitewash of a lowly-ranked Zimbabwe, which did not happen in the final T20I on Sunday, would have done little to alleviate those worries.
