Toothless Tiger. That was the recurring phrase as Bangladesh capitulated to their fourth straight defeat in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on Tuesday, putting up a spineless batting display. On the TV screen, it seemed as if Bangladesh were living the worst possible nightmare on the biggest platform. And yes, it looked as if it was taking longer than a normal T20 game.
A toothless predator is not the prettiest of sights. Nor is a bunch of stroke-players surrendering to a shocking inability to adapt to conditions and slug it out against a lively attack. Bangladesh presented an ugly picture as their batsmen ended up in an unseemly procession from the dug out to the pavilion with a brief pit stop on the pitch.
Bangladesh folded cheaply against South Africa for their fourth straight defeat in the T20 World Cup. AP
It was not difficult to see Bangladesh as only going through the motions, a far cry from the competitive side that would want to salvage some respect after losing three successive Group 1 matches. Any expectations that the squad would lift itself from the morass and find the form that helped them beat Australia and New Zealand at home were belied in Abu Dhabi.
Coach Russell Domingo would be the most disappointed with the palpable lack of will when Bangladesh batted. It is a known fact that the best sides find the bandwidth to lift themselves from the floor, channel their emotions to be able to perform to the best of their abilities even in most adverse situations. Bangladesh did not even search for such warrior qualities.
Instead, it was left to deal with the vexed ‘If only…’ conundrum. Skipper Mahmudullah led the brigade that wished Bangladesh had closed out victories in their matches against Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Aware that those losses were water under the bridge, Bangladesh could have batted with greater application to make a fight of it even on a track that assisted seamers.
There can be no doubt that some of the tracks in the Twenty20 World Cup have mocked at batsmen who have explosive strokes in their repertoire. Smart bowlers, hitting the right length, have only made it worse for such batsmen, preying on their patience and winning rewards when a common sense approach deserted the strokeplayers.
On a day when Shakib Al Hasan pulled up injured, the Bangladeshi batsmen portrayed the image of being in a hurry to return to the hut, almost as if they detested the spotlight trained on them and seeking a quick escape. Their frustration at being shackled by the South African bowlers led to their hasty exit and it was all over bar the shouting before 12 overs were bowled.
That only two batsmen – opener Liton Das and all-rounder Mahedi Hasan – went past the 20-run mark and that Shamim Hossain was the only other batsmen to last at least 20 deliveries before being dismissed tells the tale of determination and application missing from the batting crease.
Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje bowled brilliantly but it must be said their job was enhanced by the web of self-doubt in the batsmen’s minds. Courage would have been in casting those doubts aside and recalibrating the expected score on the green pitch. Even a run-a-ball-may have made the more competitive but such thinking was at a premium.
There was a hint of a fight when Bangladesh defended the paltry total of 84, with Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam challenging the South African batsmen. But Bangladesh did not have enough firepower to stop Rassie van der Dussen and skipper Tembe Bavuma from stitching together a match-winning stand.
Come to think of it, there was an early sign of trouble when Bangladesh lost a close game with Scotland in the First Round league. However, easy wins against Oman and Papua New Guinea seemed as if error correction had been made. It is possible that the task of having to qualify for the Super 12 stage and then take on the bigwigs has derailed the Bangladesh campaign.
We are so used to the idea of Bangladesh pulling the rug from under the feet of more fancied sides that their performance now is disappointing, to say the least. Inevitably, the wait for the wounded Tigers to show up and battle for their pride now extends to their final group 1 match against Australia.
Curiously, India finds itself in a similar situation against Afghanistan after stinging defeats at the hands of Pakistan and New Zealand. Their perseverance and ability to move forward, leaving the baggage of the immediate past behind, will come under the microscope on Wednesday. Fans of Indian cricket will hope that the team responds positively to the opportunity on hand.
We will know the answer in just a few hours from now but it is clear as day that Bangladesh batsmen did not have the intent needed to brighten things up for themselves, their bowlers and their fans. They were weighed down by the earlier losses, the grim awareness that the tournament was dragging on and a South African attack which relished bowling on the track.
G Rajaraman is a sports journalist with 38 years standing and prides himself as a student of sport.