Bangladesh suffered an embarrassing innings defeat against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test match in Colombo to lose the 2-match series 1-0. It was so shocking and embarrassing for the simple reason that Bangladesh had the better of Sri Lanka in the drawn first Test in Galle. But when the series was on the line, they capitulated when it mattered like they have done so many times before. There are reasons why they lost this Test match. But here we will list out three main reasons for Bangladesh’s loss to Sri Lanka.
Failure of the Bangladesh batting as a whole
After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, it was expected that Bangladesh will put up a respectable score on the board. But they wasted that opportunity by putting up a disappointing batting performance. All the Bangladeshi batters got starts but none could convert that to a fifty in both the innings. They did not have an individual fifty in the entire match.
Anamul Haque has been a total failure this series. Contrast that to Sri Lanka, there was a big hundred from Pathum Nissanka, a 93 from Dinesh Chandimal and a 84 from Kusal Mendis with others chipping in as well.
On a good batting track, they folded for 247 and then faced with a deficit in the first innings, Bangladesh wilted under pressure. Few players got starts but no one scored significant runs and the tail that was effective in the first innings wilted under pressure.
In the first innings, the tail added 87 runs for the last 4 wickets to take the score to 247 but in the second innings, the visitors lost 4/18 to lose the match by an innings and 78 runs. One does not win Test matches by scoring 247 & 133. The batting when put under slightly challenging conditions collapsed.
Flop performance of Mushfiqur Rahim, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das under pressure
Another important reason to point out was the disappointing batting performance of Bangladesh’s key players especially when they are put under pressure. Mushfiqur Rahim, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das came out with flying colours at Galle scoring loads of runs. Shanto got a hundred in each innings while Rahim got a hundred and 49 while Litton got 90 in the first innings at Galle. But when they came to Colombo they failed to get a big score. They may have got starts but did not convert them to significant scores.
Shanto missed out in first innings and got 19 in the second innings. Mushfiqur Rahim got 35 while in the second innings he got 26. Litton Das is no longer a youngster and needs to step up. He scored 34 in the first innings and 14 in the second innings. What is baffling is in the first innings they got starts and got out one can understand that.
But faced with a deficit of 211 runs with their backs against the wall, we expected a better response from this trio. They should have dug deep and scored runs. But what we saw was a collapse as these players got starts and then threw it away. For how long will Bangladesh cricket keep on learning? They have been doing this for the last two decades. While Sri Lanka will cherish this win, Bangladesh will be deeply hurting losing the match and series.
Declining performance of Bangladesh pacers and their stocks
We also need to talk about Bangladesh’s bowling performance and their declining pace bowling stocks. While the batting flopped, the bowling did not bring itself in any glory either. Spinners Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan bowled their hearts out in the game, but the rest especially the pace bowlers, were unimpressive to say the least.
Hasan Mahmud missed out on this game due to injury and Ebadot Hossain played in place of him partnering Nahid Rana. Both were wayward with their lines and lengths and gave Sri Lanka freebies to score runs. This begs the question as to where is the Bangladesh pace bowling stocks especially in Test cricket? The Bangladeshis claimed they have a tremendous pace bowling stock that can intimidate teams like Australia and India. But where are they is the big question? Plus, they are injury prone.
For instance, Taskin Ahmed did not come to play the Test matches due to injury/unavailability. The same was the case with Shoriful Islam the left-arm pacer who also is not considered. Mustafizur Rahman is restricted for white-ball cricket by Bangladesh management. Hasan Mahmud who is their upcoming pacer tends to get injured too often. There are other names that can be thrown into the mix, but somehow they are not available to play for Bangladesh in the red-ball format. Bangladesh have a lot to ponder and thinking to do and have to go back to the drawing board.
What Lies Ahead for Bangladesh
Bangladesh will next face Sri Lanka in the white-ball series. They play 3 ODIS and 3 T20Is next with the ODIS starting on 2nd July i.e. Wednesday. Red ball will take a back seat for a while now as they have home series in the white ball format against Pakistan and India in the upcoming months. In the limited overs, we expect Bangladesh to compete and push their neighbours hard but in Test Cricket they are still lagging behind.
One hopes things improve in that front and they become a strong force to reckon with. There are signs and glimpses of talent in Bangladesh. They will somehow have to transform them into results. Will they do it? Only time will tell.
Also Read: SL vs BAN: Prabath Jayasuriya’s 12th Five-Wicket Haul Seals An Emphatic Win For Sri Lanka