Tigers starting to tick the boxes

Bangladesh's away series have never been as remarkable as it was in the just-concluded West Indies tour that ended with a 2-1 T20I series triumph, thanks to a 19-run (D/L method) victory in the third and final game in Lauderhill, Florida yesterday.

The win at the Central Broward Stadium, which turned into a little Bangladesh over the last couple of days with a strong diaspora of Bangladeshi fans, provided the perfect finish to a tour that started disastrously. After a hopeless 2-0 Test series defeat where the Tigers were bowled out for their lowest total of 43 in Antigua on the opening day of the month-long tour, the success in the shortest format after a 2-1 ODI series victory is an apt narrative of the bad, the good and the brilliant.

In a country where a defeat or a win is treated more emotionally than logically, the biggest achievement of almost the same group, who were loathed after the Test series, is their mental fortitude of overcoming adversity. After the disappointment of the Test series, Bangladesh were expected to do better in the one-dayers, a format they have excelled in since the 2015 World Cup. Still there were not many instances for Bangladesh to stage a turnaround after such a demoralising start in an away series. But they did it in some style under the inspirational leadership of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

The men in red and green could have won the ODI series 3-0 had not Mushfiqur Rahim showed his uncanny ability of throwing things away when victory appeared just a formality. West Indies are a struggling side in the fifty-over format; they have managed to sneak into the 2019 World Cup finals as one of the two qualifiers. So, in that context and given their rankings, Bangladesh's successes were not a surprise. The heartening aspect, however, was the determination of the same group to learn from their mistakes. Opener Anamul Haque might have been a total waste as Tamim Iqbal's opening partner in the series, but Shakib Al Hasan's elevation to the crucial number three position has so far been a revelation. It was not only the three important partnerships between Tamim and Shakib that set the tone for big totals in ODIs, but also the assured approach of the two seasoned left-handers, Shakib in particular, which made the Tigers more compact. And that also made a positive impact in the following three-match T20I series.

Bangladesh players said they felt like they were playing at home as the atmosphere created by a strong expatriate community resembled Mirpur during the last two T20Is. PHOTO: BCB

The West Indies tour can be best described as a lesson learnt from every mistake, which is the hallmark of a fiercely competitive team. And more importantly, it is the senior members of the team who showed the greater hunger of learning the hard way. Tamim has always been suspect against spinners early on. His strike-rate dramatically drops once spin is introduced early on. But this was a series where Tamim not only showed an amazing consistency in scoring runs, but also showed his undeniable hunger for handling spinners better with every passing game.

Bangladesh's success in the shorter version once again heavily depended on the fantastic five --Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad. But this series is also a success story of two young bowlers. Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan was a key component in Bangladesh's ODI attack manned by an ageless Mashrafe.

Muastafizur Rahman might have proved expensive at times, but he has not only shown that he is getting his rhythm back coming from a series of injuries, but he also provided the best bowling brain in the team after Mashrafe. His wicket-taking exploits in both ODIs and T20Is at crucial moments is something that has turned Bangladesh from pretenders to winners more often than not. It is also refreshing to see right-arm pacer Rubel Hossain showing signs of shrugging off death-over disappointments.

Our mighty neighbours India are these days more competitive away from home not solely because they have got a champion batsman in Virat Kohli, but more importantly, they have got a quality quick bowling attack. And this is an area where Bangladesh need to focus on more. The Tigers have got the raw force; what they need though is to provide the platform at home so that the raw force can fine tune its skill ahead of a hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup in England next year.

The 2-1 T20I success against current world champions West Indies is the biggest achievement for Bangladesh in terms of quality cricket they have played as a unit and the mental toughness they demonstrated when the going got tough. They played with one bowler short in the last game, they were hit for massive sixes and in those desperate times they showed their biggest attribute -- the composure. It will only augur well for their next big assignment -- the Asia Cup.