In age-level or Emerging teams' tournaments, results are secondary as the primary focus is on gauging performances rather than bringing home trophies. From that perspective, Bangladesh 'A' team's campaign in the Asia Cup Rising Stars in Doha, Qatar, was a success despite their heartbreaking defeat in the final.
The Akbar Ali-led side lost a nail-biting final against Pakistan Shaheens in the Super Over on Sunday. However, several of their players impressed -- like opener Habibur Rahman Sohan, who finished as the third highest run-getter and second highest six-hitter, and pacer Ripon Mondol, who topped the wicket-taker's list.
In that sense, the defeat in the final should not be too much of a concern in the grander scheme, yet, it is.
In the tournament, the 'A' team players failed to correctly assess match scenarios in crucial stages multiple times -- a trait eerily similar to what is prevalent across national teams and other levels in Bangladesh.
The lapses rekindled memories of past heartbreaks -- like the men's national side failing to score two off three balls against India in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup and more recently, the women's senior side falling short while needing 12 off 12 balls against Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup last month.
In the tournament, the 'A' team nearly lost the semifinal against India in the Super Over chasing a one-run target. Earlier, a comedy of errors had forced the match into the tie-breaker in the first place.
In the final, Bangladesh 'A' bowlers did their jobs well, restricting the Shaheens to just 125.
Habibur gave Bangladesh 'A' a flying start in the chase but once he departed for a 17-ball 26, their troubles began. From 36 for 2, the side slumped to 53 for 7.
The team's strategy at the time should have been to not give any wickets to the biggest threat Sufiyan Muqeem, but they carelessly lost three to the left-arm leg-spinner.
Majority of them failed to keep away the googly and even the experienced Yasir Ali, who has played for Bangladesh, chipped one straight to extra cover.
Yet, the 'A' team's tail impressively batted its way to a Super Over, where the batters had a chance to redeem themselves but once again, made a mess of it.
When Pakistan's Ahmed Daniyal bowled a wide which resulted in five runs and an extra delivery, Bangladesh 'A' had four deliveries in hand with six runs already on the board. The only drawback was that they had lost the wicket of Abdul Gaffar Saqlain.
Instead of taking the game deeper, Jishan Alam tried a wild whack to a length delivery and lost his stumps, ending the innings abruptly with three more deliveries remaining, setting up a seven-run target, which the Shaheens chased down with two balls in hand.
Mohammad Ashraful, the Tigers' batting coach in the just-concluded Ireland series, had told The Daily Star in a recent interview that the mental side of the game -- not technique -- has been Bangladesh's biggest issue for a long time.
"This has been a persistent problem since my playing days. To build a strong batting unit, players must think for themselves -- develop individual game plans and read match situations better," he said.
Jishan's shot selection reflected this very problem -- individuals struggling to align their decisions with the match scenario. Ultimately, the defeat in the final felt less like a heartbreak and more like the continuation of a chronic issue that continues to haunt Bangladesh cricket at every level.