Batting Failures Abroad Are About Mindset, Not Skill: Tanzid

A heavy defeat to Zimbabwe, continued failures by the batters and a difficult equation before the Afghanistan match — the Bangladesh team is going through a pressured period. In this situation, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal has stood beside the cricketers, urging them in a team discussion to stay united and give their best in every match. In the words of national team batter Tanzid Hasan Tamim, the main reason for the batting failures abroad is not skill but mindset.

Bangladesh lost the opening match of the tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates to Zimbabwe by 99 runs. Yet in the very next match, Zimbabwe lost by a big margin to Afghanistan, making the series equation even more complicated for Bangladesh.

BCB president Tamim Iqbal watched Bangladesh's disappointing performance from the ground. After the match he held discussions with the cricketers and the coaching staff, and batter Tanzid Hasan Tamim later shared the content of those talks with reporters.

Tanzid said it was a very good meeting with the president. In his words, the BCB stands beside the team in good times and bad alike. The meeting discussed the kinds of problems the cricketers are facing, and the president gave everyone more confidence.

Comparing the team to a family, Tanzid added that everyone wants nothing negative to develop within this family. The president gave a positive message so that everyone can stay together and perform well as a team in every match. He also said every international match — whether the opponent is Zimbabwe or Australia — should be prepared for with equal importance.

Against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh's bowlers performed comparatively well, but the match slipped away because of the batters' failure. Tanzid agreed with pacer Taskin Ahmed's post-match comment on this point. In his view, if the batters advance through small targets instead of taking the pressure of chasing a big total, the job becomes easier for them.

Tanzid said the matter is definitely one of mindset. If the team plays by setting small targets from the start instead of thinking about 300 or 350 runs, the task becomes easier, and the mindset has to be built in that same way.

Despite having beaten strong teams like Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan at home, Bangladesh is showing a lack of consistency in batting outside the country. Tanzid believes the problem is not only about skill; it is also connected to mindset, preparation and playing as a team.

In his words, if it were a skill problem, the team would suffer at home too. If the side can play abroad with the same mindset and preparation as at home, doing well is possible — which is why the team must take the field fully prepared as a unit.

All eyes are now on Wednesday's (21 October) match, when Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in their second match of the tri-nation series. After the defeat to Zimbabwe, bouncing back in this match is now the biggest challenge in front of the team — and the batters' mindset will be tested in that very game.