Signs of life bring sliver of hope

Bangladesh's journey to the UAE for the Asia Cup was preceded by chaos and drama. It also concluded in a dramatic fashion, with the cricketers, alongside the entire nation, left heartbroken following another agonising exit from the marquee tournament.

But there lies a subtle yet crucial difference in the two scenarios. While it seemed as if the Tigers' shambolic T20 journey had no end in sight, that does not need to be the case any longer.

It is true that the two-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in Dubai last Thursday has left the players and fans gutted, but it also showed that intent and approach go far in the shortest format of the game.

For a long time now, all the fuss has been surrounding the dearth of power hitters in the Tigers' squad whenever the prolonged failure in T20 cricket was brought into question. While the role of power hitters is undeniable in the format of the game that demands quick transitions more than anything, it is also possible to find a way around it and achieve success.

At times, more than anything, a side can find the edge in the game through their players' bravehearted approach – the type of which was evident when a fearless Mehedi Hasan Miraz, a bowling all-rounder whose role as a batter usually stays limited to chipping in runs down the order, danced down the track and dispatched a Maheesh Theekshana delivery over long off for a six in Dubai on Thursday.

Or sometimes, it is the bold yet time-appropriate decisions, like the one that skipper Shakib Al Hasan and the Bangladesh team management took by sending Miraz and Sabbir Rahman to open the innings, that can do wonders.

Then again, at times, regardless of the bold or even the most thought-out plans, things may eventually boil down to batters down the order holding down the fort or providing the finishing touch – like Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain did to see Bangladesh post a 180-plus total, something the Tigers could pile up only twice in their last 18 innings in the format.

In the two Asia Cup matches that he played, Mosaddek, in particular, got the benefits of incorporating the competitive spirit and aggressive mindset, none of which Bangladesh could portray in T20s lately.

On a day when every other Bangladeshi batter found it difficult to even find ways to get going on a slow track, it was Mosaddek's fluent and unbeaten 31-ball 48 that helped the Tigers reach a mediocre 127-run total, a score that seemed far-fetched at one point.

While keeping hold of this new-found intent and bold approach would be paramount to, at least, start making the much-needed shift in fortunes in this format for Bangladesh, however, it needs to be nurtured by isolating it from the outside influence and noise that often destroys anything good in Bangladesh cricket.

This glimpse of positive approach does not allow the team management to shrug this Asia Cup's early exit under the carpet. What it does, though, is that it acts as the catalyst to rediscover courage so that Bangladesh are able to quickly customise a stable brand of cricket in the T20Is, especially ahead of the fast-approaching T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.