Studying the microstructure of the ceramic in superconducting Bi-2223 based composite tapes after bending strain cycles, it was found that in Ag-sheathed tapes with a well-textured ceramic crack propagation took place preferentially in the tape plane, whereas in tapes with less texture the cracks were oriented perpendicular to the filament. A possible explanation for the unexpected crack propagation in the tape plane is given in terms of anisotropy in the elastic properties of the Bi-2223 ceramic.