Bangladesh’s cricketers often say, “If the team doesn’t win, my runs mean nothing.” But deep down, how many of them truly believe that? Through their on-field antics and off-field comments, the players often fail to justify that statement

In Thursday’s 39-run loss to Ireland in the first of three T20Is, every Bangladesh batter except Hridoy came under heavy fire.

Bangladesh’s 39-run defeat to Ireland in the first T20I in Chattogram raised fresh questions about the team’s form, but Tawhid Hridoy’s post-match remarks drew just as much attention as his unbeaten 82 off 50 balls.

A little while after Bangladesh lost the first T20I against Ireland in Chattogram, Tawhid Hridoy slowly walked into the press conference. He had just played the best T20I innings of his career, but it had no impact on the team’s fate.

Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim's fortunes went from bad to worse to worst in a span of 72 hours.

If the 2-0 margin of victory doesn't make it obvious, the fact that only eight Bangladeshi batters got a chance to bat in the three-match series against the Netherlands is a solid indicator of just how one-sided the series in Sylhet was.

Hridoy’s suspension, and the confusion surrounding his premature return to the field after serving just one game of a two-match ban, has sparked controversy and raised questions about administrative irregularities within domestic cricket.

The Mohammedan captain was initially handed a one-match suspension and four demerit points for his first offence in altercating with on-field umpires. Later, his criticism of umpiring led to another sentence of three demerit points, which should equate to seven demerit points and two match suspensions.

After middle-order did not have much to contribute, Hridoy took it upon himself to carry the innings, building a 47-run stand with number eight Tanzim Hasan Sakib and then a 23-ball 50-run unbeaten stand with Taskin Ahmed, who struck 18 off 10 as Bangladesh managed 286 for 7.

The kind of bat speed Tawhid Hridoy generates has already been a telling factor since his introduction to international cricket. At the highest level, however, technique and mentality are opposite sides of the same coin.