Asia Cup failures rooted in weak pipeline

The meek nature of Bangladesh women’s team’s performance in the Asia Cup exposed the widening gap between Bangladesh and the growing cricket nations. The toothless campaign has even brought scrutiny on their biggest triumph, with suggestions that the 2018 Asia Cup title was a one-off rather than a sign of sustained progress.

Women’s cricket has grown rapidly in recent years, and the Asia Cup highlighted not only Bangladesh’s in-game limitations but also the lack of growth behind them, largely stemming from a weak domestic pipeline.

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The inability to chase targets around or above 150 was particularly telling. It was evident again when the Tigresses fell 40 runs short of India’s 150 in Thursday’s semifinal in Dubai.

“I wouldn't say the intent was wrong, but in terms of shot execution, we probably didn't choose the right option,” batting coach Nasiruddin Faruque told The Daily Star.

While India’s approach was deliberate, targeting Marufa Akter and off-spinner Sultana Khatun, Bangladesh’s batters struggled to adapt their individual plans during the chase.

“What India did was they mostly hit with the turn. It's very important that this comes from the players [batters] themselves inside the field,” Faruque said.

The numbers underline the problem. Over the last two years, Bangladesh’s leading T20 batters have operated at modest strike rates. Sobhana Mostary, the team’s top batter, has scored at just above 105, while skipper Nigar Sultana Joty has managed just above 102. Promising batter Dilara Akter has struck at above 114. While there have been starts at the top, productive 40-50-run knocks have been hard to come by.

T20 cricket exposes such flaws more starkly, with limited time for decision-making and execution.

“We have limitations, and if we want to overcome them, it comes down to strike rotation and hitting ability. These two things combined seem like the biggest barrier to me. We have to manage to score runs off good balls too,” Faruque said, pointing to India’s Shafali Verma as an example of a batter who remained within her game plan despite surviving scares.

Bowling has shown growth, but batting is a more complex issue.

“Batting is actually a complex thing. The more you can keep this complex thing simple, the more we get to work against good quality bowling sides, the better. I feel they should play against better bowling in domestic cricket. Growth should be the major concern and how we can make the pipeline better for international standards,” Faruque added.

But where does that growth come from when the Women’s Dhaka Premier League and First Division tournament were not played last season?

Players have been left to gain match experience through sporadic bilateral series. Since the T20 World Cup qualifiers in January, the Tigresses played Sri Lanka at home in April, a tri-nation series involving Scotland and the Netherlands in May, and the T20 World Cup in June. After that tournament, there was another long gap in which the team could only rely on camps.

The absence of regular competitive cricket means players are not consistently exposed to the pressure and decision-making required in actual matches. That lack of sharpness was visible against quality opponents such as Sri Lanka and India in the Asia Cup.

“The lack of players [coming through] is obvious. The pipeline doesn't work itself out. Our domestic cricket hasn't been structured well [in recent seasons],” women’s chief selector Sajjad Ahmed Shipon acknowledged when asked about selection amid the lack of domestic cricket last year.

“The lack of players is prominently visible when we face quality opponents,” he added.

The problem, therefore, runs deeper than intent or mentality. If players are not regularly challenged in domestic cricket, their development remains limited, leaving the national team with too few options and little depth.

The Tigresses will have to make a quick turnaround for the Asian Games, but the bigger question is how Bangladesh can create the playing opportunities needed to build a stronger pipeline -- and, eventually, a team capable of chasing 150-plus targets.