Alarm bells are ringing for Bangladesh after their fourth successive batting debacle in Tests. On a pitch that the team management reportedly desired, the home side collapsed twice in Sylhet, with Litton Das' shot to get out in the fourth innings particularly being emblematic of the side's batting failure.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has owned up to the problems, including his own dismissal in the fourth innings. But there are suggestions that the players weren't prepared for the Test, which is all the more concerning given how most of them have ignored first-class cricket for many seasons now.
Bangladesh kept Sri Lanka in the field for three hours on the fourth day. Most of the damage was done the previous day when they crashed to 37 for 5, before Mominul Haque's 87 took them to 182 - their fourth consecutive sub-200 innings at home. In the first innings, they were bowled out for 180 after crashing to 83 for 5.
Bangladesh made 172 and 144 against New Zealand in Dhaka, but at the time, the raging turner and the afterglow of beating New Zealand in Sylhet in the previous game, meant they avoided some of the public criticism. Three months ago, Shere Bangla National Stadium's pitch was stacked too much in favour of the spinners. In Sylhet this time, both team acknowledged that barring the first 20 overs in each innings, the pitch was good for batting.
Shanto admitted that Bangladesh had to quickly regroup after this 328-run defeat so that they can give an improved showing in the upcoming Chattogram Test.
"We got the pitch we wanted," Shanto said. "It was in our favour. We have no complaints about the pitch. I don't think a defeat will bring us motivation. How we prepare and what we are thinking, that's more important. This was a bad result. We didn't play well as a team. We couldn't take our chances. We are focusing on improving in the next game, and ensuring we don't make the small mistakes.
"Our top order didn't do well in both innings, but it was also the same for them. We have to work on improving our game. I am hoping we will do well in the next game. There are lessons from every game but only when you take a long hard look at where you went wrong and where it went right for you. We have to consider everything. This experience will help us in the future."
There are no mincing words. Bangladesh batted poorly in Sylhet. The top order offered no fight against the new ball. In particular, they chased deliveries moving away from and outside off-stump. Openers Zakir Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan Joy were caught behind once each, as were captain Shanto and Mominul Haque. Shahadat Hossain got caught in the slips in both innings.
Shanto called his waft outside off-stump a misjudgment, promising to improve in the next game.
"I can only say that I chose the wrong ball. The sort of wicket it was, I should left that delivery as a top-order batter. It was a misjudgment. We will try to make a comeback in the next game."
The spotlight however is on the Litton dismissal on the third evening, when he tried to slog the first ball he faced in the innings. Angelo Mathews caught the skier, as it turned Bangladesh's dire situation worse.
Shanto suggested that Litton's dismissal was rare in Test cricket, so he has to work harder on his batting with the coaches ahead of the Chattogram Test. He, however, ruled out giving a break to Litton.
"I can't talk about Litton's dismissal. He can explain it better. You don't see this sort of dismissal in Test cricket. The batting coach can talk about the particular shot. I don't want to talk too much about his dismissal. We wouldn't have spoken if it was a caught-behind dismissal. I think the batting coach and Litton will plan better so that these shots can be avoided next time.
"When (Litton) didn't play the last ODI, we were thinking of giving him a break. He is an important player for us. One of our best batters. He hasn't had a great time lately but we should be with him during this time, starting from the coaching staff to the players. He is also wary of this. I am hopeful he will do well in the next game."
Selector Abdur Razzak told reporters after the third day's play that Litton's shot was "disappointing", but said that the top order has to take equal responsibility for their low scores.
"It is disappointing that a senior batter got out in this way in a Test match. It is not right. But it wasn't just Litton Das. We lost five wickets in the session. Everyone is at fault. There's no chance to say that these are raw players," Razzak said.
"We have picked the players because they can handle these situations. When the team does well, we credit the team. The team now has to take the responsibility in this situation."
Bangladesh now have four days to recuperate ahead of the Chattogram Test which starts on March 30. There were suggestions however that they didn't get enough time to prepare for the Sylhet Test, that was played four days after the last ODI in Chattogram on March 18, leaving Bangladesh with just three training days.
Razzak, however, felt that the team had enough training. He said that cricket tours these days don't allow practice matches.
"The way cricket is these days, there's not enough time for practice matches. There's a lot of competitive cricket these days. I don't see it as lack of preparation for the players," he said.
This was a particularly busy season for the senior men's side. After the ODI World Cup last November, Bangladesh played home Tests against New Zealand and also toured New Zealand for white-ball matches. The two domestic first-class competitions had finished by December. There were no other Bangladesh A tours. The BPL was held from January 19 to March 1, while the Dhaka Premier League, the lucrative List-A competition, began in mid-March.
Bangladesh's Test specialists, however, had opportunities to play both the NCL and BCL. But none of the players in the XI had played the full season of first-class cricket. Zakir and Khaled played seven matches each, while Mominul played six games. Joy and Shahadat played three each.
Litton, Mehidy and Shoriful Islam didn't play a single first-class game this season while captain Shanto played one. It is mostly because their schedule didn't make room for the first-class fixtures, but for long, even the more senior players have avoided the first-class tournaments.
Most of the Sri Lanka players have a healthy diet of first-class cricket this season. Nishan Madushka and Fernando played nine and eight games respectively, while Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis and Prabhat Jayasuriya have played seven each. Dimuth Karunaratne and captain Dhananjaya de Silva took part in six games too. Even someone as busy as Kusal Mendis played five games.
Only playing first-class cricket will not guarantee success in Tests. Bangladesh's first-class scene has long been criticised for lacking in quality. Tournaments like the NCL and BCL haven't quite reached the level required to promote first-class cricket.
That being said, Bangladesh also pay less attention to Test cricket, especially when an ICC tournament is knocking on the door. In this case, the T20 World Cup in June is the BCB and team management's main concern, even though the Tests they are currently playing are also part of an ICC tournament.