T20 World Cup 2024: Why Is Bangladesh Cricket Team Struggling In ICC Tournaments?

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As the T20 World Cup 2024 is less than two months away, Bangladesh finds itself grappling with a series of challenges that have plagued its performance in the ICC tournament. The team's struggles can be traced back to its domestic league, the Dhaka Premier League (DPL), which has been marred by a run drought this season.

As per a report by Bangladesh's leading media house Daily Star, most matches in the DPL have witnessed low-scoring affairs, indicating a lack of batting prowess among local players.

Overusage of pitches at major venues in Dhaka and Chittagong (mostly preferred due to logistical easiness) have led to slow wickets and low-scoring affairs in the country and has been cited as one of the reasons for Bangladesh's struggles on the international stage.

While the notion across the cricket world is that flat tracks put a smile on any batter's face, the same hasn't been true for ill-equipped Bangladesh batters, whose technique and approach were exposed during the last ODI World Cup in India despite familiarity with the sub-continent conditions. The team has increasingly encountered difficulties adapting to away conditions and flat pitches during the ICC tournaments.

Furthermore, Bangladesh's recent performances in One Day Internationals (ODIs) have been underwhelming, with the team failing to make an impact on the rankings. They are currently placed 8th among 12 Test nations. In the last few ODIs, Bangladesh has struggled to put up competitive scores, once again highlighting a concerning trend of batting collapses and inconsistent performances.

Also, one of the glaring issues facing the Bangladesh cricket team is its over-reliance on a few seasoned batters. With the younger generation yet to establish themselves as consistent run-scorers, the burden falls heavily on the shoulders of ageing players such as Shakib Al Hasan (37), Mahmudullah (38), and Mustafiqur Rahim (36) among others. This imbalance in the batting lineup has made it challenging for Bangladesh to post formidable totals or chase down targets effectively.

The combination of these factors has led to a string of disappointing performances for Bangladesh before the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite possessing talent and potential, the team has failed to translate it into consistent success on the international stage.

In response to their poor showing, Bangladesh cricket authorities are likely to reassess their strategies and focus on addressing the underlying issues plaguing the team. This may involve investing in the development of young talent, diversifying the batting lineup, and providing adequate support and resources to players to improve their performance under various conditions.

BCB's planning questionable

In build-up to the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh Cricket Board has scheduled T20 series against lower-ranked nations such as Zimbabwe followed by the USA in May. While playing in the USA, one of the hosts for the T20 World Cup is understandable as the side would like to get used to the condition, facing inferior sides makes little sense.

For instance, Pakistan have lined-up series against New Zealand, England and Ireland before the World Cup, raising questions on BCB's planning for big tournaments.