Sports Desk:

Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed that every player in the Tigers’ current XI is a “proven player” in both domestic and international cricket. His remarks came on Friday after the Tigers’ 57-run loss to Pakistan in the second T20I of the three-match series, which saw Bangladesh concede the series 2-0 with one game left to play.

“Every one of us who is in the team are well-proven [players] both in domestic and international games,” Sakib said during the post-match press conference in Lahore on Friday.

BUT HOW ACCURATE IS SAKIB’S STATEMENT?

For the moment, let’s put aside performances in domestic cricket, where the standard remains questionable. The real concern lies in international performances — particularly from the batters, as it is the batting that has failed in both recent series against the UAE and Pakistan.

Take opener Tanzid Tamim, for example. His recent scores of 59, 40, 31, and 33 show that while he’s been getting starts, the left-handed batter has repeatedly failed to convert them into meaningful innings. Bangladesh lost on each occasion when he got those starts, mostly while chasing big scores — showing how Tamim is still not the player who could up the ante when required, like the usual ‘proven’ performers do.

His opening partner, Parvez Hossain Emon, has struggled with consistency. Since scoring his maiden T20I century in the first T20I against the UAE earlier this month, he hasn’t reached double figures, with scores of 0, 4, and 8 in his last three outings.

Captain Litton Das played his 100th T20I last night, but his career stats hardly reflect those of a “proven” T20 player. An average of 22.51 and a strike rate of 125.23 suggest he remains more of a promise than a performer — often praised for his potential, yet unable to deliver consistently.

Tawhid Hridoy’s 22-ball 17 in the first game against Pakistan stalled the chase of a daunting 202-run target. He struggles to accelerate when the situation demands, and his dismissals often appear reckless. Despite spending time at the crease, he tends to throw his wicket away, as he did in both matches against Pakistan in this series.

Jaker Ali is often hailed for his big-hitting abilities, but he frequently fails to meet expectations. His 34-ball 41 in the final T20I against the UAE gave Bangladesh a fighting total, though it eventually wasn’t enough. His 20-ball 36 in the first T20I against Pakistan merely reduced the margin of defeat, while his last match-winning knock came in the Caribbean, when he smashed a career-best 72 off 41 balls not out against the West Indies last year, helping the Tigers seal a whitewash.

However, Sakib, who registered his maiden T20I fifty in last night’s game, maintains faith in his teammates, attributing their poor form to a temporary slump.

“I think they might just be out of touch, but I have a lot of faith in my teammates. I believe that they can make a comeback in the next game,” he said.

Bangladesh’s hopes of chasing down the 200-plus target were crushed during a 23-ball stretch in which they lost five wickets for just 23 runs last night.

“If our batters could bat more responsibly, then it is possible to chase 200-plus targets on this wicket. We need to focus on building partnerships because we are losing matches by losing back-to-back wickets,” Sakib acknowledged the issue.

However, despite Sakib’s belief and awareness of the problem area, the numbers paint a grim picture. Based on recent performances, the claim that the current batters are “proven” players at the international level does not hold up.

For Sakib’s assertion to reflect reality, the players must start performing consistently — not sporadically, as they have done so far.