A new tragedy in the desert

A video has gone viral on social media platform Facebook, showing Shamim Hossain Patwari losing his temper after Bangladesh’s series defeat to the UAE on the night of May 21 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. As he was leaving the field with his teammates, he appeared to be agitated—perhaps a comment from a spectator in the stands struck a nerve. In response, the cricketer stopped and retorted.

But Shamim Hossain should also remember that what unfolded on that ground marks yet another dark chapter in Bangladesh’s cricketing history. Losing a three-match T20I series 2-1 to the UAE—an ICC associate member and ranked 15th in the world—is nothing short of a national embarrassment. After such a performance, is there really any room left for defiance?

Perhaps the UAE’s win in the second T20I, where they chased down a mammoth target of 205, could have been brushed off as an accident. But the way Bangladesh collapsed in the decider was no fluke—it exposed a deeper malaise. True, wins and losses are part of the game. But they too have context and rationale. Captain Liton Das blamed the night’s dew for the defeat, calling it a turning point. However, in the world of professional cricket, such excuses rarely hold water after repeated failures.

When it comes to cricketing history, pedigree, and achievements, there is a vast gulf between Bangladesh and the UAE. And when a team with such stature capitulates so helplessly to a much lower-ranked side, it forces us to confront some hard truths about the team's current capabilities. No matter how strong Bangladesh appears on paper, it's becoming increasingly clear that the team is hollow at its core. The void left by players like Mashrafe, Shakib, and Tamim is now glaringly evident on the field.

This isn't the first time such disappointment has occurred. Just a year ago, in May, Bangladesh lost a T20I series 2-1 to the United States. The U.S., a team made up of expatriate cricketers juggling jobs alongside their sporting pursuits, clinched the first two matches and secured the series before Bangladesh managed a narrow win in the third game. Even before that, Bangladesh suffered a home defeat to Ireland in March 2023, losing by seven wickets in Chattogram—a result that read like an Irish fairy tale.

Further back, the scars remain from defeats to Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup, to Hong Kong at home in 2014, and to associate teams like the Netherlands and Scotland in 2012. Now, this latest series loss to the UAE adds yet another blemish to Bangladesh’s troubled T20I record.

This series was part of Bangladesh’s preparation for the upcoming Pakistan tour. Initially scheduled as a two-match series, a third was added after delays in the Pakistan tour plans. But given the dismal performance in Sharjah, all eyes will now be on what unfolds in the Pakistan series. The stage is set—what remains to be seen is whether Bangladesh can turn things around, or whether the desert tragedy is a sign of more storm clouds ahead.