Bangladesh once again fell short when it mattered most at the 2025 Champions Trophy, leaving fans and analysts wondering—when will this team finally break free from the cycle of unfulfilled potential?
Despite Bangladesh’s recent struggles in ODIs and minimal preparation leading into the 2025 Champions Trophy, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained confident in his team’s potential. He strongly believed that Bangladesh were genuine title contenders for this year’s edition. Shanto had faith in his strong pace bowling unit and an emerging wrist-spinner option. Although this unit proved to trouble opposition batters, Bangladesh’s batting unit appeared incomplete and unprepared. In the post-match presentation of their second match, Shanto mentioned that changes were needed in the mindset of the batting unit. He emphasized that there is always room for improvement when it comes to putting up 300-plus scores. It has been a recurring trend for Bangladesh to set high expectations for the tournament only to exit early with disappointment and unfulfilled potential—raising questions about consistency, strategy, and the ability to perform under pressure on the big stage. Was Bangladesh’s campaign entirely a disappointment, or were there glimpses of promise for the future?
Bangladesh’s New Generation of Pacers
This was probably the only positive for Bangladesh in the 2025 Champions Trophy. While the team struggled in other areas, the fast bowlers showed promise by consistently delivering with pace, aggression, and control. Despite the overall disappointment, the bowlers held their ground, keeping Bangladesh competitive in key moments. Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana were among the standout performers in Bangladesh’s bowling attack during the tournament. Taskin, with his experience and ability to generate both pace and movement, led from the front—troubling batters with sharp deliveries and disciplined lines. His aggression and consistency kept Bangladesh in the fight even when the batting unit underperformed. It is no surprise that Taskin is the only A+ cricketer in BCB’s central contract; he completely deserves it.
Nahid Rana showcased his potential as an emerging fast bowler. His raw pace and ability to extract extra bounce made him a difficult challenge for opposition batters. Although he is yet to master the yorker delivery, his stock fuller delivery troubled even the best Kiwi batsmen. His 149 kmph delivery that dismissed Kane Williamson was the highlight of the bowling attack that day. Rana’s pace earned him high praise from cricketing legends. Waqar Younis, at the DP World Dressing Room, described Rana as “truly dangerous,” adding, “He combined pace and bounce brilliantly.
That delivery to Williamson was nearly unplayable.” Irfan Pathan wrote on his official X account, “Nahid Rana can be the best & go-to bowler of Bangladesh in the future. Got pace with height. Only thing is he started cricket late so coaches around him need to keep an eye on that.” Despite his limited experience on the big stage, his performance against New Zealand provided promise for exciting future performances.
Uncertain and Reckless Batting
Bangladesh’s bowlers were left with little to defend in both matches due to the batting unit’s underwhelming performances. Time and again, the bowlers were tasked with defending below‑par totals—a challenge that even the best bowling attacks in the world would struggle with. Although the Dubai pitch in the first match was not as batting‑friendly as those in Pakistan, it certainly did not justify Bangladesh’s total of 228. It is likely that India would have scored more than 300 if they had batted first. Despite the pitch showing no promise to pacers, Bangladeshi batsmen made it seem otherwise. Soumya Sarkar struggled against Shami’s consistent bowling, despite receiving the ball in the same areas repeatedly. The top‑order batsmen simply gifted away their wickets, lacking both composure and patience. All wickets in the India game fell to batsmen trying to force shots in uncomfortable positions. It was almost ludicrous to see India bat better on a dry surface that became even more challenging in the second innings.
Their batting efforts at Rawalpindi were even more laughable. While other teams successfully chased 350‑plus scores, Bangladesh failed to register even a 250 on a pitch that offered little assistance to bowlers. We witnessed the same classic story of a top‑order collapse. Although, at times, a pacer is credited with such collapses, this time it was an off‑spinner. All I ever hear from foreign analysts is that Bangladesh plays spin really well—at least, that’s what I used to believe.
However, recent statistics suggest that Bangladesh has the lowest strike rate against spinners in ODIs since 2024. It is disheartening to see batsmen, who usually thrive on spin‑friendly pitches, giving away their wickets in such ridiculous fashions. It was not the spin that they feared, but rather the pressure built by dot balls. Bangladesh conceded 181 dot balls in the New Zealand game—a key factor contributing to the low score. The same scenario played out for all of Bracewell’s prey. A series of consecutive dot balls forced the batsmen to play loose shots against Bracewell’s overspun deliveries. We are good players of spin bowling, but a recent dearth of quality spinners in our domestic pipeline has exposed our weaknesses against unfamiliar bowling styles.
Poor Team Selection
When the squad for the Champions Trophy was announced, several questions were raised. Why were inexperienced players such as Parvez Hossain Emon chosen over veterans like Shakib al Hasan and Liton Das? With Liton out of the equation, who would open the batting? Would Miraz replace Shakib’s role in the middle order? These issues remained unresolved, and the team selections only led to more confusion among fans. Mushfiqur Rahim’s inclusion in the playing XI raised concerns given his poor form—he has scored just one fifty since the 2023 World Cup, with most of his runs coming from the Sri Lanka series at home. But the main issue was in the top order.
Since the 2019 World Cup, Bangladesh has experimented with 18 distinct opening lineups. This, in itself, shows a lack of consistency in the batting formation, furthering uncertainty among batsmen about their roles. Changing the order and selection has become so common that sometimes no logical reasoning seems to underpin the changes.
For example, dropping Soumya Sarkar for the New Zealand game was unwarranted, given his stellar record on flat pitches and against an opposition like New Zealand. Although the pace attack was formidable, the spin lineup was below par. Rishad was exceptional against India, but Miraz did not provide the spark; he bowled economically but failed to take wickets in the middle overs, allowing both India and New Zealand to build key partnerships.
Lack of Winning Mentality
A captain who dreamed of taking his team to the Champions Trophy finals must have been serious about their stance. At least, that was the expectation. Right before the India game, Tamim Iqbal posted a story showing him having dinner with many squad members. While this might seem harmless at first, it apparently explained their performance the very next day. The batsmen appeared to lack intent when it came to scoring runs, and it showed in their fitness levels. Towhid Hridoy suffered from a cramp in the latter stage of his innings due to dehydration. Players such as Virat Kohli follow rigorous diet plans and workout routines that aid their on‑field performance. However, our players do not seem to care about the off‑field effort required to perform their best. Even during the India game, a clip went viral showing Shanto laughing with his assistant coach while the scoreboard read 35/5. This reflected the lack of seriousness within a team that was already struggling to stay in the game. Nevertheless, it appears that neither the board nor the team is overly concerned about disappointing fans for the umpteenth time, as preparations for a Zimbabwe home series have already begun to restore expectations.
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