The element of mediocrity aside, volatility and uncertainty also hit Bangladesh cricket since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government earlier this month.

However, with a new president in the form of former ODI captain and ex-chief selector Faruque Ahmed at the helm of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), cricket in Bangladesh is trying to be back on track.

Bangladesh are facing Pakistan in the ongoing Test series in Rawalpindi. But thereafter, they are in for a gruelling tour of India in September and October that comprises two Tests and five T20Is. To be hopeful of being at least somewhat competitive in the Test leg of the tour, Bangladesh will once again be pinning their hopes on ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who has to play a massive role with both bat and his left-arm spin.

The induction of his go-to coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim into the BCB as one of its directors should bode well for Shakib, who tends to invite controversy. Fahim, also a much-respected analyst in the Bangladesh cricketing circle, assured Shakib would be available "for all matches" in these difficult times for his country, provided he stays fit.

"For the India tour, Shakib will surely be there for the Tests. Besides, he hasn't played enough Test matches... while he himself has said he's available. He'll be considered for the T20I leg too, though it also depends on how his body copes with the rigours of the formats, based on which the selectors will decide," Fahim told The Telegraph from Dhaka on Thursday.

"Nonetheless, he's available for all the coming series, provided he's fit. And it's quite obvious that he fits into the team."

A Test-playing nation for 25 years, success on the international stage continues to be rare for Bangladesh except when playing on extremely sluggish surfaces at home. Fahim agreed, adding that the immediate goal of the new BCB setup is to address the problems in its domestic cricket.

"We need to discipline the domestic tournaments, and make them competitive and cultured, something that's required to excel in international cricket. We have to create such an environment in our domestic cricket," he stated.

"As for the pitches here, we did feel if that was how cricket operated in our country, it wouldn't benefit us as a whole. Even the previous setup had understood this and tried to prepare better wickets, especially in Sylhet.

"Of course, home advantage is important, but we also need to keep in mind our overall performance in international cricket isn't affected."