Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations committee, Akram Khan, yesterday expressed his grave disappointment with the way the Bangladeshi batsmen performed in the second ODI against the West Indies on Friday.
Chasing a target of 248 runs, Bangladesh could only manage 70 before being bundled out in 24.4 overs, thus capitulating to a huge 177-run defeat as the West Indies took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
“I thought they (Bangladesh) would have performed better after the first game,” Akram told the media yesterday. “We played well below our standard in all the three departments. What we have observed this year is that we tend to play disastrously after every two games, especially with the bat,” he added.
The former national skipper informed that the board is taking note of these issues. He believes all the players are working hard but are not reaping the expected rewards. Akram thinks a lack of individual targets amongst the batsmen is the chief reason behind the poor showings.
“What we have seen is that they lack individual targets. A batsman usually takes time to settle in the 50-over game but what they are doing is rushing into challenges from the very beginning,” Akram explained.
Following the second ODI defeat, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim had said one reason behind the players’ poor displays might be because the cricketers are worried with their place in the team. This pressure, Mushfiq said, was piling up unnecessary pressure upon the players which eventually affected their game.
Akram echoed Mushfiq’s sentiment but stressed that it is the same in every cricket-playing country.
“One cannot expect to sustain if he is not performing. It is their responsibility to perform because they earned a place for themselves in the national team because of their performance,” said the former national chief selector.
Akram notified that the tour of the West Indies is the first instance when the national selection panel was given full authority by the BCB to select the squad but the results have not been satisfactory.
“It does not matter how high the profile of the coach or the selector is. They are bound to explain to the board. We will sit with the issues once the team returns,” informed Akram.
The year 2014 has not been an easy travel for Bangladesh. The side lost 11 out of 12 ODIs this year with one game against India washed out to rain. As far as T20 internationals are concerned, Bangladesh played nine games and won only two while out of the two Test matches played this year, they lost one and drew the other – both against Sri Lanka at home.
When queried if the series of poor performances were down to any faults in the process Akram said, “The main issue I think is the confidence level. Their confidence level goes up and down very quick. Two back-to-back wins boost them while two back-to-back defeats put them under immense pressure. We tried to fix this and appointed two psychologists. We are trying everything possible. I believe this team will bounce back as these are the very players who performed brilliantly not so long ago.”
