Bangladesh’s overseas ODI record has deteriorated significantly over the past 18 months. The team has played 16 one-day internationals away from home during this period, winning only 2 matches while losing 14. This poor run reached a low point when Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in an ongoing tri-nation series, eliminating Bangladesh from the tournament and securing Afghanistan’s place in the final alongside Zimbabwe.
Stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy addressed the team’s struggles on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, offering a candid assessment of Bangladesh’s performance away from home. Hridoy acknowledged that the team has suffered five successive ODI losses to Afghanistan, a sequence that underscores the depth of the problem.
“We haven’t been able to turn our words into actions to be very honest,” Hridoy said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Why has Bangladesh struggled away from home?
Bangladesh have demonstrated their ability to compete against top-ranked teams when playing at home. The squad defeated Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in bilateral ODI series on home soil during 2026, proving that the core group possesses the talent required to win at international level. However, the contrast between home and away performances has become stark, with consistent batting collapses abroad undermining the team’s efforts in recent months.
“I certainly agree that we aren’t doing well outside the country and this has been going on for almost a year and a half. I think it is important to adapt to outside conditions very quickly and at the same time to act according to what the match and the situation demands and it won’t be enough just by saying it,” Hridoy said.
“Look, this same team has beaten big teams. We beat them at home: Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, all at home. I don’t want to judge the whole team on the basis of one or two matches or series. Our batting unit in the matches we’ve played away recently batted very badly consistently and that’s why the whole team is struggling,” he added.
What does Hridoy say about the team’s mindset and individual responsibility?
The captain identified specific technical and mental shortcomings that have contributed to Bangladesh’s away-match failures. He pointed to the team’s approach during challenging phases of play and the absence of individual players capable of stabilising innings when early wickets fall.
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“When we’ve played at home, the batsmen have done well in almost every match. So there are some areas where we need to develop when we play abroad. The problem is certainly mindset. I think there’s room to develop in this area a bit more. In international cricket, if there’s a defensive mindset, success is very hard. So when the whole team, the batting unit, collapses together and we can’t recover from that, I think we should plan better,” said Hridoy.
“So when the whole team, the batting unit, collapses together and we can’t recover from that, I think we should plan better. On game awareness we need to work on, as there are times when we have to hold the game in certain positions, when wickets fall early or when most of the wickets fall. From there, what happens is that when we collapse, we all collapse at once and in this area I think it’s important for one player or one or two players, to take responsibility and lift the team from a bad position to a good one,” he added.
Hridoy emphasised that Bangladesh lacked the individual match-winners who could shoulder the burden of rebuilding innings from difficult positions. This absence of self-belief at the personal level has compounded the team’s collective struggles during overseas assignments.
“In every team there are a few exceptional players who have the belief that they can carry the team forward from a bad situation. I feel that’s something we lack a bit,” Hridoy said.
