Jokes aside, I actually see a lot of potential in Bangladesh to be honest and if I were to critically analyze their game I see a number of areas where, if they work on consistently, then they can actually be a very decent side at home and a competitive one on away venues.
The foremost requirements, as per my assessment, is that Bangladesh severely need a fast bowler who can crank it up (I am talking about 145+) for a 6 over spell, type of bowler who will do this regardless of conditions or avenue. I don't follow Bangladesh cricket neither am I aware of their domestic products which are in line for national selection, so I am not entirely sure who that person will be but somehow somewhere Bangladesh need to find a guy, preferably 6 ft+ who can do 90mph (Bouncers/yorkers et al). Do not worry about line/length/swing/seam, all these technicalities can be developed into an athlete's skill set with time and a pro coaching setup but for starters you guys need to bring in blokes who at least have the above raw framework to polish later.
Secondly Bangladesh (as how it was previously with Pakistan) need strong discipline among their ranks and I am talking about proper professional discipline. Get in somebody like Micky/Moody/Deno for a full time coaching job and just give him a team filled with players that have raw potential to work rather than relying on the age old method that's been in place (which quite frankly) isn't producing the goods, as depicted by the current results. This is not a pot shot at Bangaldesh's domestic cricket or anything but a suggesting to try something innovative for a change.
Mark youngsters based on Potential and then enroll them in a proper pro setup under a coach who should have full autonomy of his players and provide the bloke with a incentivized target for at least 3 complete seasons. I understand this method will not magically produce results as it will take time for the same said youngsters to get the ball rolling but the benefit of this would be that Bangladesh would start a culture under a setup that would essentially on par with the top tier teams of Today.
My third suggestion would be to phase out seniors from the team because I don't see a point of keeping 'seniors' if they can't help you win games. The ship for 'learning' with time has long sailed and if the seniors can't help their team beat a new entrant into International cricket then what is exactly the point of keeping seniors? I also understand that their is a massive fanbase for these superstars in Bangladesh and replacing them would lead to a lot of outcry from certain corners but you have to start somewhere. Every single Legend of the game has had a point in his life where it had become essential for him to either (a) let go or (b) be dropped. Superstars will again rise from the same ranks and take up the mantle one day but if you don't start now things would only become more complicated and there will come a time when it would even be harder to get this one.
The last bit is for the fans and for the administrators as well. Whenever I read or interact with Bangladeshi cricket followers I see a lot of expectations. Expectations to the point where it almost feels as if its borderline straight out of a fairy tale (again I am not trying to be offensive) but this is exactly the reason why your team has had it incredibly tough to jump to next level because at the end of the day, these players come from within the country's population and if you weigh them down to become world beaters overnight then that creates a euphoria of unrealistic benchmarks.
Start with a pro setup along with the right players and aim for a realistic target for e.g. for the first 2 seasons give the coach a target to bring Bangladesh 8 or above in every format. Then do the the same for above 7, and on and so forth. This would make sure that there is a proper winning foundation upon which future Bangladeshi cricketers can take guidance from.
Also, even though I don't rate T20s personally, I effectively have come to this realization that every single format is important for the development of cricketer in its own right and for a collective inclination towards a winning mindset you cannot shy away from a format that the team might be weak in, embrace the short comings and then adapt to become better in day with each passing day.
I would like to add in the end this entire post was not to rile up any emotions or wansn't meant to be demeaning in any way whatsoever. Cricket is played by only a select few teams and if one of them struggles to put up a decent showing then it is poor for the game overall. The same goes for Pakistan and how we were previously 2014-2016/17. I hope people can take these suggestions with the right spirit.
Thank You
- Although I never really thought I'd win POTW for this but I wrote this because I genuinely feel that Bangladesh can be a very decent team that could pose good competition at the mid table (Positions 4-8). They have the resources and the passion, they just need direction and the correct personnel to embark them on this new level.
