Will Texas nightmare serve as wake-up call?

It appears that Bangladesh men's cricket team have discovered an ingenious method that allows them to leave behind the misery of a disastrous performance. Just when one would think that the Tigers just cannot stoop any lower, they are somehow able to end up on the receiving end of even a worse outcome.

In other words, one way to move on from a disaster is to get involved in a bigger one, apparently.  

The latest instance of such a devious ploy was on display in full glory in the south central region of the US, as the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Texas stages the ongoing Twenty20 International series between the USA and Bangladesh.

A three-match affair is meant to be a tune-up series ahead of the fast-approaching T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies, but as it stands, the visitors have entangled themselves in a seemingly inescapable nightmare, having conceded the series with a game left to play on Thursday.

Texas is known for many things, and when it comes to their cuisine, barbeque will invariably be off the top of one's head. Fans back home expected the Tigers -- a vastly superior side on paper to USA -- to serve them a juicy steak but saw their team get burned at the stake instead.

Bangladesh's wheels fell off in the back end of both matches -- first the bowlers could not defend 50 off 20 balls in the five-wicket loss in the series opener, and then batting order crumbled in a six-run defeat as the equation of 21 off 19 balls was out of reach despite having five wickets in hand at that stage.

On the other hand, with odds stacked against them, in terms of experience and player profiles, the USA deservedly registered their maiden victory over Bangladesh in their first attempt before a historic first series victory against a Test-playing nation.

Losing against lower-ranked teams can happen, and there is no shame in losing to a side that can punch above their own weight on the day. Upsets are part and parcel of the game, but in Bangladesh's case, the fact that they are yet to win a T20I match against Scotland, Hong Kong after two and one matches, respectively, the defeats to USA were not unbelievable by any means.     

The results are not shocking even, for a team who became the first one to reach the unwanted milestone of 100 losses in the shortest format as the USA took an unassailable 2-0 lead, and one who lost to Netherlands in the ODI World Cup in India last year, playing in their favourite format and in familiar conditions.

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Is there any silver lining to the double doze of embarrassment suffered in Texas? Perhaps not, as the manner of defeats have been the most concerning.

It often did not feel like the Tigers were playing international cricket. Periodic unforced errors, bowling on the slot and begging to be hit in the death overs, or throwing wickets in spite of the asking run-rate being low; not to mention the string of mistimed shots, miscommunication leading to run-outs, the extras, so on and so forth.

It can be argued that when Bangladesh batters are chasing a score, a random audience who tunes in to the game will not be able to guess the equation, for the Bangladesh batters might risk their wickets for a cheeky single despite the required run-rate being in the double digits, or conjure a wild slog when uncalled for; when the need of the moment is to stick to basics, rotating the strike for instance.  

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had voiced his concern over preparing for the main event by playing Zimbabwe and USA. "The World Cup is a different scenario... One big reason for playing with the United States is to adapt to the conditions," he said.

Shakib and teammates may adapt to conditions eventually, it could happen after their first two fixtures in the upcoming marquee event when they take on Sri Lanka and South Africa before moving to West Indies to play Netherlands and Nepal, but will they ever catch up, or at least get close, to the ever-improving standards of international cricket? 

The clock is ticking as the gap between them and lower-ranked teams narrows, while the gap with superior sides widens.

Will the Tigers wake up before it's too late?