The 'best-ever T20 World Cup' has been exaggerated.
The Bangladesh team management is probably going through a very rare phase right now. There's no denying that the Tigers had their 'best-ever T20 World Cup campaign in Australia this year.
From a statistical standpoint, the statement is correct. Bangladesh went from not winning a game in the main stage of the T20 World Cup in 15 years to winning two games and reaching the semifinals for the first time in their history in less than a fortnight.
In fact, Bangladesh surpassed their previous best in T20 World Cups in less than a week in Australia, defeating the Netherlands in their tournament opener before rebounding from a thrashing by South Africa with a thrilling win over age-old rivals Zimbabwe in their third game.
Achieving all of this in a campaign that was not even considered a primary focus by team management is a tremendous accomplishment. And that is exactly how everyone on the team sees the campaign.
"In terms of results, this is the best performance we've had in T20 World Cups," skipper Shakib Al Hasan said after their final Super 12 match in Adelaide against Pakistan. Prior to the Pakistan game, T20 technical consultant Sridharan Sriram said the same thing.
Bangladesh has clearly exceeded the standard it set for itself. Instead of having to look for positives in defeats, as they frequently do when watching most series and tournaments played in the shortest format, they can now brag about victories over teams considered minnows in cricket. Kudos!
Surprisingly, these underdogs issued a far more stern warning to the game's heavyweights. The Netherlands defeated an in-form South Africa, while Zimbabwe triumphed over Pakistan. In their group, the Dutch finished ahead of Bangladesh.
If their success is linked to Bangladesh's, it will only add to the Tigers' already acclaimed 'best-ever T20 World Cup,' as both the Netherlands and Zimbabwe were defeated by Shakib and co.
When asked to summarize this World Cup campaign, the same faces from the Bangladesh leadership have now suddenly turned to point at the outcome instead of talking about 'positives' from a certain knock, a bowling display, or the approach in a game.
Ironically, if Bangladesh's gameplay is scrutinized in depth, many positives are unlikely to emerge. They'd probably revolve around Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, and, to a lesser extent, the pace department.
Najmul Hossain Shanto did end up as the Tigers' highest run-getter in the tournament, with 180 runs at an average of 36, but his performances were as questionable as the team management's approach, which decided not to let Liton open the innings in the first three matches, and the ability of the middle-order, which only managed 150 runs once throughout the tournament.
And, if the team management's focus has always been on the next T20 World Cup, which will be held in the United States and the West Indies in 2024, satisfaction with such a result only indicates two more years of drab performances in the shortest format.
It might work in Bangladesh's favor if they chose introspection and started working on their flaws now rather than letting the 'best-ever T20 World Cup' consume them. Otherwise, when they realize the next T20 World Cup is approaching, it may be too late.