They started the home season with a 2-1 ODI series win over India followed by a 3-0 T20I series win against England and then beat Ireland in all three formats. The challenge was to do well in the 13 almost back-to-back games that started on 1 March, but apart from the 2-1 defeat in the ODIs against England, they won the other series convincingly.
Shakib led the team admirably in the T20Is and Tests, introducing an aggressive style that Bangladesh often shied away from. He has also contributed significantly to the ODIs.
Shakib said a change of mindset has really helped Bangladesh over the past five months. He said they realized the need for this mentality at last year’s T20 World Cup when they needed to beat Pakistan in their last Super 12 match for a shot at the semi-finals. They ultimately failed to make it, but Bangladesh had their best T20 World Cup campaign, winning two games against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands and pushing India close.
“I think our biggest improvement is in our mindset,” Shakib said. “During our last game of the T20 World Cup last year, we talked about how we saw ourselves as a small team. We weren’t really a small team, but if we believed in ourselves, we could have reached the semi-finals.” finals. We fell short in that area, so we felt we had to change that aspect. Especially those who were in the T20 World Cup squad have had that mental change.
“This is an important year where we have the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We want to play well for the next six months. We have done well for the first four months this year. We will mainly play ODIs this year, a format we feel we be good at it.”
Improved mentality in T20Is contributed to high scoring in the ODI series against Ireland in Sylhet last month, and similar high scoring efforts in the T20Is at Chattogram. Even the choice of locations back home – Sylhet and Chattogram rather than mainly Dhaka – was a sign of progress. Usually Bangladesh feel like playing more in Dhaka as Shere Bangla National Stadium gives more help to spinners, the perceived strength of the team.
With the fast bowlers also slowly improving and the team feeling the need to play on more hitting friendly pitches ahead of the World Cup in India, the BCB has agreed to the senior players’ desire to play more in Sylhet and Chattogram. More white-ball games are expected at these two venues in the coming months leading up to the major tournaments.
The move was highly unusual for Bangladesh, but Hathurusinghe was BCB president Nazmul Hassan’s choice for a long time. Hathurusinghe’s vision has blended well with the rest of the team so far.
“We want the same results, ideally.” Hathurusinghe had said for the Ireland T20Is. “That’s what we’re talking about, that we’re going to do the same processes for us. When we do our processes, I think we’re a really good team. That’s what we can do for them – improve the processes every day.
“It always feels good when your team does well, especially when you have a plan before the series starts. Then we want to play on good wickets. We knew our fast bowlers were good enough to deliver that kind of performance. When that comes to bloom, it gives a lot of confidence.”
Bangladesh’s fast bowling has also improved, resulting in a wider group being included in the squad. Fast bowling coach Allan Donald is also looking to widen the net with the next crop of fast bowlers from domestic and age-group cricket.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent in Bangladesh. @isam84