The Bangladesh national cricket team is already in the United Arab Emirates for the first Asia Cup in four years and are waiting for a disaster.
Bangladesh have been pitted in group B, where they will face Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Both sides are filled with resources to succeed in T20Is, from power hitters to leg-spinners.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, have neither. Not just that, they have problems in almost every department on and off the field, and that's only a recipe for disaster.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) changed the head coach of the T20 team a day before the team left for UAE. Russell Domingo was relieved of his responsibilities, and Sridharan Sriram took charge as the technical consultant.
Not just that, they appointed Shakib Al Hasan the captain on August 13, only two weeks before the start of the tournament.
Their squad is full of holes as none of their three openers are settled - Anamul Haque, Parvez Hossain Emon, and Mohammad Naim, who was only included after Nurul Hasan Sohan was ruled out with a finger injury.
Bangladesh's injury concerns go beyond Nurul. They don't have their best batsman in Liton Das, and in-form pacer Hasan Mahmud is out too.
Their bowling attack, which doesn't have a leg-spinner, is massively one-dimensional. While Mustafizur Rahman can be trusted to perform in the slowish UAE pitches, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saif Uddin, and Ebadot Hossain are big question marks.
In the spin department, Shakib is expected to perform as always. Still, a spin attack of Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Nasum Ahmed is as one-dimensional as it comes.
But there are some good signs too. Before the tournament, the team director of the national side, Khaled Mahmud, said they were going to use Afif Hossain at number four. While Afif has been regarded as one of the possible T20 prodigies from Bangladesh, he was never utilised up the order. But it might change in the Asia Cup, and if it works, that can be a big boost.
Shakib being the captain is also great for them as his tactical astuteness is praised all over the globe, which Shane Watson joined in recently.
"To have a leader of Shakib's quality, I think it's going to re-energise them. He's so experienced. He has captained Bangladesh a lot of times. He has captained in a lot of franchise tournaments as well, especially in the Bangladesh Premier League. His decision-making for his team-mates under pressure is going to be invaluable," the former Australia all-rounder said.
But their biggest handicap is the guy in charge of the team, Sriram. While the Indian coach boasts of experience with the Australia team and several Indian Premier League franchises, he has had almost no time with the team before the start of the tournament.
That can be a good thing, too, considering Sriram will not be pressured to know the past failures were under him, as the coach himself mentioned.
"I'm coming in with a fresh set of eyes. I carry no baggage. I'm bringing in my ideas and fresh energy, wanting to get the team together and start afresh," he said.
But that could have been said if he was appointed at least a couple of weeks before the tournament, where he could have held a camp at home to check out the players' abilities.
Now, time and the team's performances are against him, and while his job is till the World Cup, if Bangladesh fails to qualify for the Super 4, the criticisms will be as harsh as they can be.
All in all, it seems like Bangladesh are heading towards oblivion in the Asian Mega Tournament. Their only saving grace can be slices of individual brilliance, and everybody knows the only player who can do so.
