Batters’ dip in form deepens Tigers’ worries

Bangladesh batters rarely enjoy prolonged purple patches. Even those who appear in good touch often lose form ahead of major tournaments -- a concern long shared by fans and experts and recently voiced by the national team’s specialised batting coach Mohammad Ashraful during the T20I series against the West Indies last October.

That fear is now being reflected in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). After 20 of the scheduled 34 matches, most Bangladeshi batters have failed to make a meaningful impact, while bowlers have largely carried the show -- an alarming trend with the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

The uncertainty surrounding Bangladesh’s participation in the World Cup has only added to the unease. Several players have reportedly avoided the media in recent days, unwilling to face uncomfortable questions about their form, the Mustafizur Rahman issue, and the continuing row between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Yet the scorecards tell a clearer story. Other than Sylhet Titans opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who is second on the tournament’s run-getters’ list with 236 runs in eight innings, including two half-centuries, none of the other batters from Bangladesh’s World Cup squad feature in the top 10.

Bangladesh captain Litton Das is next among the squad members with 129 runs from six matches for Rangpur Riders. Dhaka Capitals’ Shamim Hossain, one of the options for the Tigers’ fragile middle order, has scored 114 runs in five innings -- 81 of which came in a single knock against Sylhet that still ended in defeat.

Rangpur’s Tawhid Hridoy, who began with a fifty against Rajshahi Warriors in the second match, has struggled since, managing 106 runs in six games. Rajshahi opener Tanzid Tamim has 87 runs from six matches, failing to convert starts, while Saif Hassan has scored just 48 runs in five matches and was even rested by Dhaka after four games. Rangpur skipper Nurul Hasan has only 20 runs from four innings, and Dhaka all-rounder Saifuddin 41 from three -- figures well below expectations.

Rajshahi head coach Hannan Sakar attempted to explain the slump.

“Form in T20 cricket depends a lot on batting position, team strategy, and environment,” Hannan told reporters in Sylhet on Saturday. “In franchise cricket, players have to fit into the team’s plan. Ideally, World Cup players want to play in their natural roles and carry confidence forward, but in the BPL that isn’t always possible.”

In contrast, Bangladesh’s bowlers have been impressive. Chattogram Royals pacer Shoriful Islam leads the wicket-takers’ list with 13 wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 6.92. Rangpur’s Mustafizur Rahman has 12 wickets from six games at 6.52. Among the spinners, Sylhets Nasum has nine wickets in eight matches, including a stunning 5-7 -- the best bowling figure by a spinner in BPL history -- while Chattogram’s Mahedi Hasan has seven wickets from as many games.

Rishad Hossain, the only World Cup-bound Bangladeshi currently playing in the Big Bash League, also claimed 11 wickets in eight matches and earned the ‘world-class’ tag from Hobart Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis. However, Taskin Ahmed and Saifuddin remain concerns, with low wicket tallies and economy rates above eight.

Hannan repeated the familiar line that “one or two good innings can change everything” for batters. But with Bangladesh’s World Cup participation still uncertain, the batters’ form could at least have offered some reassurance -- and for now, that much-needed relief remains nowhere in sight.