Tigers' World Cup flop sparks calls for change

Bangladesh's dismal performance at the World Cup has sparked calls for wholesale changes from dragging players out of their comfort zones to a radical transformation of a domestic set-up too often plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, report agencies.
Bangladesh became the first country to be eliminated from the World Cup when they crashed to a seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Pakistan swept to victory with 105 balls to spare leaving Bangladesh out of contention with two rounds of matches left to play.
They started the tournament well enough, beating Afghanistan by six wickets.
However, they then lost six consecutive matches, which not only ended their semi-final chances but also put the side's qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy in jeopardy.
Bangladesh lost to England by 137 runs, New Zealand by eight wickets, India by seven wickets, South Africa by 149 runs and to non-Test playing Netherlands by 87 runs before Pakistan put them out of their misery.
Bangladesh went to the World Cup after finishing third in the Super League qualification tournament just behind New Zealand and defending champions England.
There were high hopes last year when Bangladesh automatically qualified to this World Cup. They ultimately finished third in the ICC ODI Super League, a position that then captain Tamim Iqbal had targeted before the cycle had begun in 2021.
"We took up the qualification process very seriously," he said in November. "We knew we had some away series too. We didn't want to wait till the very end to qualify. Going into the 2023 World Cup, we definitely want to do really well. If we qualify as one of the top three or four teams, it makes sense talking about wanting to play in the semi-finals or finals. If you go in as say the No. 4 team, it means you have done well over 20-23 games. For a team like us, it would give us some confidence."
Tamim saying what he did then made a lot of sense. Bangladesh had crushed South Africa in the deciding game in their ODI series last year. They won easily in the West Indies. They fought back from improbable situations against Afghanistan and India.
But many of the games they won were on home turf, where low and slow wickets suited the team's playing style.
Highly-regarded local coach Nazmul Abedin Fahim suggested Bangladesh restructure its domestic cricket to create a challenging environment for players that would benefit them in the international arena.
Poor wickets, substandard umpiring, and allegations of match-fixing often mar Bangladesh's domestic game.
"We must address the core problem instead of looking at the periphery," said Fahim.
"Our players don't face challenges in local cricket. As a result, they appear helpless in international matches. We should change it and ensure they get better coaching in local cricket as well," he told the news agency.
Their overseas form has also exposed a gulf between Bangladesh's domestic cricket and international results.
Anamul Haque and Mohammad Naim, two of the top run-getters in the previous two seasons of the Dhaka Premier League, failed to grab a spot in the World Cup squad.
Bangladesh were the last team to announce a 15-man squad, less than 24 hours before the players' departure for India.
Controversy over the axing of Tamim Iqbal and captain Shakib Al Hasan's subsequent verbal attack on the batsman created an unsettled environment.
That was reflected in performances. In a tournament which has witnessed record and rapid run-getting, Bangladesh's highest total was just 256 against India.
Several players who have served the team for nearly two decades are set to end their careers very soon.
Captain Shakib Al Hasan and batsmen Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah are unlikely to play in another World Cup.
Mahmudullah is Bangladesh's top run scorer at the World Cup but he will be 38 in February.
Out-of-favour opening batsman Tamim, who was overlooked for the World Cup, is also nearing the end of his career.
Indeed, as Bangladesh's World Cup campaign reached its seventh match, regret hung in the air. A bit of common sense and smarter planning could have provided a different perspective to this tournament. Instead it is one that speaks loudly of the Bangladesh team management's rigidity with their batting line-up.
They finally got back to their conventional batting line-up against Pakistan, seven matches into the tournament. ESPNcricinfo understands that the "revert-to-type" instruction came from all the way up in the chain of command. BCB president Nazmul Hassan, after Bangladesh's 87-run defeat against Netherlands, reportedly told the team management to get the batters in their right positions, and continue that pattern for the remaining matches.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah went back up the order for the first time this year. Mahmudullah was batting above No. 6 for the first time since August 2022.
Mushfiqur was back at No. 4 after seven months. The selectors have always maintained that they "rested" Mahmudullah after the England series back in March, even though that excuse was condescending to the man himself. Mushfiqur was given the No. 6 role to slog his way through the last ten overs, despite reaching his batting peak at No. 4.
The changes meant that Najmul Hossain Shanto batted at three, with Shakib at six, and Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz at 7 and 8. This line-up might have worked but for Litton's soft dismissal, or if Shakib Al Hasan's 64-ball struggle had delivered greater reward. These regrets are nothing new to Bangladesh's World Cup campaign. Even when Mahmudullah was looking set on Tuesday, he ended up receiving Shaheen Shah Afridi's best ball of the day.