Shanto flags T20 mindset as hurdle in ODIs

Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said on Tuesday that the team must improve their One Day International batting, particularly in the middle overs, if they are to succeed in the 50-over format.

Bangladesh are set to play a heavy schedule of ODIs this year as part of their preparation for next year’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Shanto believes that to perform well in the 50-over format, Bangladesh need to move away from the T20 mindset of chasing higher strike rates, and instead focus on batting longer and building innings.

“I think as a batting unit, in the last 10 to 12 ODIs we haven’t been able to bat properly for 50 overs. So that is a concern — how we can bat well especially in the middle overs and finish the innings,” he said.

“If you look at the entire Bangladesh Cricket League tournament, every team played in a similar way. It was very disappointing, especially if I talk about my own team. I think all four teams had experienced players who have played 50, 60, 70 ODIs. In such a situation, as a whole batting unit, we should have been more consistent. There should have been more hundreds, and we should have dominated for 50 overs, which didn’t happen,” he explained.

“This is something that is also happening in international cricket. So as batsmen, I think we need to focus more on this area. With the Pakistan series ahead, how we overcome this area is important. Although we had a good tournament before the series, which will be an added help. I hope we can overcome this area properly,” he added.

Bangladesh had been preparing for the ongoing T20 World Cup, an International Cricket Council event that the country eventually did not participate in, citing security reasons.

In the lead-up to that tournament, Bangladesh prioritised the shorter format of the game. Shanto believes that an extended focus on T20 cricket has had an impact on the team’s ODI batting, an issue he feels must be addressed quickly.

“I think in the last one to one-and-a-half years, we have played a lot of T20 cricket. So that could be one reason. Batsmen always have things like strike rate and big shots in their minds,” he said.

“But especially in the middle overs, handling the new ball properly, not losing wickets with the new ball, and rotating strike in the middle overs to build a long innings — I think we are missing these things in almost every match. So from this area, how we can calm down a bit and build the innings rather than thinking too much about fours and sixes — how we can rotate strike and build the innings — if we improve in this area, then you will see that we can dominate the full 50 overs,” he concluded.