Bangladesh’s one-day side is in a hard place, and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz isn’t hiding from it. After being rolled for 93 in 27.1 overs on Tuesday – their second straight sub-110 total – he said, “We have to target playing 50 overs”. It is as basic, and as urgent, as that.
Afghanistan won the Abu Dhabi series 3-0, the final margin a thumping 200 runs. The story was familiar. Early wickets, no real rebuild, Rashid Khan doing Rashid Khan things, and this time 21-year-old seamer Bilal Sami joining in with a maiden five-for. Bangladesh’s previous effort on the tour, 109 all out in 28.3 overs, looked much the same.
Key numbers first: 221, 109, 93 – three matches, three collapses. West Indies arrive in Dhaka this weekend for another three ODI games, so there is barely time to breathe, let alone overhaul a batting line-up.
“As we failed to do so in the last two matches. I think we have to accept that we have played poor cricket as a batting unit,” Mehidy said. It was a frank admission. He followed up with the line that has almost become a slogan for the squad this week: “A team suffers when the batters don’t take responsibility.” In the same breath came the reminder: “Every batter has to take responsibility. We will keep struggling otherwise. We can’t win a game without runs on the board, regardless of conditions.”
The captain shouldered some blame himself, but feels the problem is more mental than technical. “The team is definitely feeling down after losing this series. We are hopeful that if we can spend time with our family in those two days that we have at home, we can play with a fresh mind.”
There is little appetite for wholesale changes. “We are not learning from each defeat,” he said, before adding a longer thought: “We are not improving as much as required. We definitely lack in certain area but we have to move ahead with these players. We don’t have a lot of players outside [the team]. We are not as bad a team as these results show, but we just have to improve, and rectify our mistakes.”
Coach Phil Simmons had asked his batters to be proactive against Afghanistan’s spinners, yet Rashid finished with eight wickets in three ODIs and never looked under pressure. In six white-ball matches on tour – the preceding T20Is ended 3-0 to Bangladesh – the leg-spinner’s control of the middle overs was a constant.
Why does any of this matter beyond immediate pride? Because automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup is tied to the ICC’s top-nine cut-off. The Bangladesh Cricket Board issued a short statement before the final match pointing out that plenty of fixtures remain, but the maths gets tighter every time the side is bundled out inside 30 overs.
Home conditions against West Indies might help. The pitches are usually slower, the crowds louder, and the Tigers’ bowlers know every crack. Still, with confidence low, one bad Powerplay can spread panic. Mehidy’s request, then, is straightforward, almost old-fashioned: get in, bat long, use up the overs. If they do that, all the other questions – strike rates, partnerships, bonus points – can be asked later.
“As a captain, I want the batters to be mentally strong. I don’t expect an overnight improvement. The coaching staff is boosting the team mentally. I should be doing it too, as a captain.” The words were calm, but the timeline is tight. Bangladesh fly home on Wednesday morning; optional nets are pencilled in for Thursday; the series opener is on Saturday afternoon. A couple of thick edges going past point early on, and maybe the 50-over mark will finally come back into view.
