Someone should have reminded the Bangladesh cricketers to 'look before you leap' before sending them off to South Africa to play in the World Cup.
Their African adventure was more of a nightmare. Because they failed to win a match, they failed to cross the 200-run mark for once and what is more they even failed beat lowly Canada.
During a press conference prior to their departure, the team management boldly set itself a target of 'two wins and an upset'. Now, they
will be returning home with eggs in their faces.
In five completed matches (Canada-120, Sri Lanka-124, South Africa-108, New Zealand-198 and Kenya-185) the team's aggregate total was 735 runs.
Perhaps the one thing they can be proud of is denying West Indies the chance to play in the Super Sixes. And that was only possible when rain came to the rescue.
Several questions will be asked on the selection of certain players like Habibul Bashar, whose form of late has been miserable even before the competition kicked off, but was chosen ahead Akram Khan who sat on the sidelines until the final game against arch-rivals Kenya.
What was the point of inviting former coach Gordon Greenidge at short notice to spend some time with the players in Namibia as a batting advisor?
Though it's never wise to speculate nevertheless is there more to the abject failure than meets the eye? Could it be a division inside the camp intended to make Bangladesh look like laughing stocks?
In every single game the pattern was the same; an early collapse through injudicious shot selection followed by a late-order revival.
Can somebody please explain why chasing 218 for a rare win over the Kenyans seemed like a bridge too far when the side was packed with nine batsmen?
Clearly, the think-tank is not thinking. This leads to another point on its effectiveness. There are stories circulating that manager ASM Faruque and coach Mohsin Kamal are not working as a team. If the rumours are true the Board should have realised it much earlier when they named the team manager.
Besides, Kamal's training methods were the subject of scrutiny by an Agence France-Presse correspondent.
The writer went on to say that Kamal, a former Pakistan Test bowler, did not deserve to be coach of any national team.
Another puzzle that needs unravelling is what was the benefit of employing a South African physiologist for a brief period when the signs indicate a long-term session is absolutely essential to get rid of the mental scars.
As we lick our wounds after the national team failed to live up to expectations, the bigwigs sitting at home also must share the brunt of responsibility.
Barring their upset of Pakistan in 1999, the Tigers have not won a one-day international since gaining Test status a year later. This speaks volumes of where our cricket now stands.
We don't need too look too far to find the root of the problem. It lies beneath their feet and in their heads. Yes, it refers to the state of domestic pitches, the way they are being prepared and in the manner they are managing the game.
On such tailor-made tracks, any player can bash the leather around the ground without a worry in the world. This may be attractive to watch and no doubt will push his end of season averages up, but ultimately it will cause more harm than good when he is pitted against even mediocre bowlers because he lacks the techniques, footwork to handle any situation later in his career.
So, it is about time the Board stops the practice of producing 'friendly wickets' and instead invests time and money in getting pitch specialists from other Testplaying countries such as Australia, South Africa to help train our local groundsmen.
The game's administrators must realise Bangladesh needs a high quality coach, not an average one. And that coach should have total freedom in his work.
Otherwise, we will continue to be Tigers on paper while other countries like Kenya prosper at our expense.