After losing three matches on the trot, T20 international captain Mahmudullah Riyad has said that Bangladesh still have plenty to take from the ongoing ICC World Cup.
Every team has five matches to play in the Super 12 stage of the World Cup. Bangladesh played three of them and lost all. Their latest defeat came at the hands of the West Indies.
In the next two matches, Bangladesh will take on South Africa and Australia on November 2 and 4, respectively.
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“We understand that our chances to reach the semi-finals is slim now,” Mahmudullah said. “We still have plenty to take from the World Cup. It would be great if we can win the last two matches. We have been putting our best foot forward to do well, to keep our commitment.”
It was expected that the Tigers would reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. But after having a fragile start -- losing to Scotland in the first match of Round 1 -- Bangladesh lost their positive vibe. They never were able to get the rhythm back that they displayed against New Zealand and Australia.
Bangladeshi fielders missed at least five regulation catches in the last three matches, which have cost the Tigers a lot.
In the first match of the Super 12s, Liton Das missed two catches which eventually became the main reason behind Bangladesh’s defeat. And in the third match, which was against the West Indies, Mahedi Hasan missed two catches and Afif Hossain missed one.
Bangladesh needed to score 22 runs in the last two overs against the West Indies. But they managed 18 and lost the match by three runs.
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“I feel that we had been batting well,” Mahmudullah said. “The partnership between me and Liton was planned, and we had been going to seal the match. But Liton’s dismissal at the boundary prevented us from getting the first win. After that, it was my responsibility to pull off the match but I couldn’t. I can only blame myself.”