Bangladesh’s cricket team continues to struggle with batting inconsistency, as recent performances highlight the ongoing challenge. Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto scored centuries in both innings of the Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle, registering 148 in the first innings and 125* in the second. However, in the subsequent match, Shanto was dismissed for single digits in one innings and managed just 19 runs in the other.
Litton Das, who impressed with a knock of 76 in one of the T20 matches during the Sri Lanka tour, could only manage a total of 17 runs across three matches in the home series against Pakistan. Similarly, Towhid Hridoy, who scored back-to-back fifties in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, failed to replicate his form in T20 internationals.
Despite the occasional big innings, inconsistency has long been an issue for Bangladeshi batters. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) coach Sohel Islam, who oversees the board’s ‘Bangla Tigers’ programme, explained that the root causes of this inconsistency lie deeply in the country’s cricket culture, players’ mentality, and the quality of pitches.
Speaking to the media at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, Sohel pointed out that the primary issue stems from the culture of domestic cricket. Drawing a comparison with India, he said: “I believe the culture is extremely important for this. If you look at India, their domestic cricket is far more competitive. A score of 100 or 200 is not considered a big deal there. Here, when we make a run, both players and coaches tend to become mentally satisfied.”
Sohel highlighted that this issue was evident in Shanto’s case, where after scoring two centuries in a Test match against Sri Lanka, he failed to carry that momentum into the next match. “I was talking to Shanto about this. After scoring two centuries in two innings, he should have continued to make runs in the next Test. But we don’t have examples like that here. In India, they have such examples. We are trying to break out of this cycle and train players in that way. We are working on changing their mentality,” he said.
According to Sohel, Bangladesh’s batters lack the habit of playing big innings consistently. During the era of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, it was almost expected that one of them would score a substantial knock. In the current setup, however, such performances have become rarer.
To address this, Sohel stressed the importance of improving domestic cricket. He believes that increasing competition at the domestic level will encourage players to develop the habit of playing big innings. “If there is more competition, more challenges, then improvement will come. Scoring big runs and playing back-to-back innings is a habit. It’s not just about scoring two centuries in one Test and then failing in the next,” he explained.
Sohel also spoke about the ‘Bangla Tigers’ programme and how they are working to shift the players’ mentality. “We didn’t have this kind of culture before, but we have to start somewhere. We are trying to train the players in this way, instilling that hunger. If a batter’s average is 50 in red-ball cricket, that’s acceptable. In a batting-friendly environment, if you play two Tests, your average could rise to 80. This is the kind of thinking we are trying to instill in the players, and they are trying hard to adapt,” he added.
Another major issue affecting Bangladesh’s batting is the quality of pitches, which often draws criticism from players, coaches, and even BCB officials. The pitches used during the recent Pakistan series were also under heavy scrutiny, with Pakistan’s coach, Mike Hesson, openly stating that such pitches do not meet international standards.
Sohel agreed that the quality of pitches has a significant impact on batting performance, particularly when it comes to consistency. “Of course, we’ve been saying this all the time. A batter’s batting pattern depends on the pitch. If you have low-bounce pitches, batting becomes difficult. Batters become afraid to take risks and play shots. When you take risks, you have to be prepared for the consequences. Our batting patterns suffer because of this,” he said.