Is Bangladesh's bowling standing up to the rigours of a World Cup?

Having conceded four 300-plus totals in five innings at the 2019 World Cup so far, Bangladesh's bowling attack might be in need of a mindset change. The same attack that's a match-winning one at home has been a bit one-dimensional overseas.

Both England and Australia made more than 380 against Bangladesh in this tournament, and on both occasions - in Cardiff and at Trent Bridge - the bowling looked bereft of ideas when put under pressure. In addition, they also seemed to pre-empt the batsmen's assault before it began. They weren't looking for wickets first up, and went on the defensive even before the batsmen began to attack.

Bangladesh have a lack of out-and-out pace options and haven't had a legspinner for a while. That won't change overnight. It is down to how the BCB has never really pushed for sporting pitches, or backed legspinners in domestic cricket. When visiting teams arrive, the tactic of stacking the side with fingerspinners on pitches that keep low and produce turn is well documented.

But away from home, Bangladesh haven't really had a leader of the attack, an issue that has been evident in this World Cup. One reason for that is the pace bowlers haven't really stood up, while the spinners have had to perform a support act in unfavourable conditions, much unlike those at home.

Mustafizur Rahman's form has been inconsistent, and he is more of a death-bowling specialist now. He has all the skills, but hasn't quite cut it as a new-ball bowler. Then too, Bangladesh aren't always quite sure of what their new-ball attack should be. Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan have been used when faced with an opener uncomfortable against spin bowling. But it remains unclear as to who among Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur or Rubel Hossain are the best bets with the new ball.

In fact Mustafizur and Rubel, and lately Saifuddin, have all been queueing up to bowl in the last ten overs.

That lack of clarity also stems from how Bangladesh bowl in ODIs back home, on slow and low pitches where you can get away with a bad spell with the new ball, because in most cases scoring will get tougher as the ball gets older.

Even Shakib's role isn't clear-cut. He is an attacking option at home, but overseas he becomes a fix-it-all, plugging gaps when bowlers at the other end are under attack. Only Mehidy's role seems clear, though Bangladesh seem determined to bowl him out by the 35th over.

The lack of clarity was shown in how the pacers opted to go against Australia. They tried to keep the ball out of the reach of Aaron Finch and David Warner, even though the batsmen were striking it well when given room, but were finding it difficult to put away length balls on the stumps. In this World Cup, the pacers seem to have focused more on bowling short of a length outside off stump, but that has hardly yielded good dividends - one wicket in 171 balls, while conceding 177 runs.

The spinners haven't had much success as wicket-takers either, but they have done a better job at containment. There is still room for the likes of Shakib and Mehidy, who have a good understanding of the conditions, pitches, and sizes and shapes of the grounds, to be more effective. They can do more to attack batsmen who are new to the crease. They need to find a Plan B, of perhaps forcing batsmen into playing the cut shot - which is their stock option at home.

Overall though, that is a limited issue. Two fingerspinners bowling tightly offer the attack some control, but the bigger issue is how the pace bowlers have been unable to use favourable conditions. Is it due to their lack of experience in foreign conditions, or the fact that they end up spending too much time on the bench or on the boundary line back home?

In the short term, Bangladesh have to figure out how become more attacking with the new ball, at least in their attitude and with their existent resources and skillsets. Early wickets in England can unsettle batsmen in the dressing room. If Bangladesh want to become a top-four team, they can't be satisfied with a group of skillful fingerspinners getting wickets in favourable conditions at home only. They will need to be a smarter, and more confident, bowling unit against the bigger sides, and one able to stand up to pressure instead of buckling to it before it even arrives.