Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has said he’s “not overly upset” about the loss to Zimbabwe. But in reality, defeats like this should hurt — they should leave a sting in the heart and a dent in the pride.
Let’s rewind to 2004 during Bangladesh’s tour of the West Indies. After an unexpected draw in the first Test in St. Lucia, Caribbean legend Brian Lara held a press conference on the eve of the second Test in Jamaica and made a bold declaration: if his team couldn’t beat Bangladesh in five days, he’d step down as captain. His exact words: “If we can’t beat Bangladesh in five days in Jamaica, then we need a new captain.”
Fast forward nearly 25 years. After the loss to Zimbabwe in the Sylhet Test, Shanto said: “Not overly upset, I wouldn’t say that. Because this was still an international match. I’m upset because we didn’t perform well.”
Later, he added: “It’s not like this loss feels worse than others. It feels just like it does whenever we lose a match.”
Of course, Shanto is no Brian Lara — there’s no real comparison. But like Lara once was, Shanto is now the captain of a side that’s suffered a truly embarrassing defeat. Losing to a team like Zimbabwe — from whom anything but a dominant win is considered unacceptable — is more than just a defeat. It’s a collapse.
Lara understood that. Failing to beat Bangladesh wounded his pride, hurt his identity as captain of a great cricketing nation.
We don’t know what’s truly going on inside Shanto’s mind. But judging by his words, it doesn’t sound like the pain of this loss runs very deep.
He might point out that Bangladesh also lost a Test to Zimbabwe in Sylhet back in 2018.
That’s true. But that Zimbabwe team featured seasoned names like Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza, and Kyle Jarvis. Even the current side’s only experienced player, Sean Williams, was in that squad too. That Zimbabwe was far more solid than the one we just faced.
When the Sylhet Test began this time, the entire Zimbabwe XI had a combined experience of 81 matches. In comparison, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim alone had 94 Test matches under his belt.
Since that 2018 defeat, six and a half years have passed. In that time (up to the Sylhet Test), Bangladesh played 41 Tests, while Zimbabwe played just 15.
Zimbabwe haven’t won any of their last 10 Tests. They managed to draw two and lost the rest. Not long ago, they were beaten at home by Afghanistan and Ireland.
So how can losing to this team not cause heartbreak?
Beating teams like Australia, England, or India brings great celebration. So losing to Zimbabwe — a team not even part of the ICC Test Championship and sitting at the bottom of the ICC Test rankings — should feel equally devastating.
Why wouldn’t such a defeat shake a team’s pride? Why doesn’t it hurt “a lot more” for the captain?
Just last year, Bangladesh were whitewashed at home by both Sri Lanka and South Africa — series where wins were very much expected. Especially the loss to South Africa, who brought a weakened squad unfamiliar with local conditions, was a bitter pill to swallow. But this latest defeat to Zimbabwe has dragged Bangladesh cricket to a new low.
So why does the captain seem to view it as just another ordinary loss?
Even if Bangladesh bounce back and win the next Test, it won’t be enough to erase this embarrassment. A win alone won’t restore pride. But a dominant victory — steamrolling Zimbabwe — might help ease the pain just a little.
And yet, there’s no sense of urgency, no fire, no frustration in the captain’s words.
After Lara’s bold statement, West Indies went on to beat Bangladesh by an innings and won the series. Shanto doesn’t need to resign like Lara threatened to — but he must have something in his leadership arsenal to inspire his team.
A loss like this stains the pride of Bangladesh cricket. It leaves a mark on fans’ hearts. And for that to be felt and acknowledged, the captain and his team must first understand it.
