Mashrafe Mortaza takes subtle dig at Sri Lanka
Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza addressed the media ahead of their tri-nation series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. When asked about what he thinks of the conditions, he stated that the focus should be on the execution rather than the circumstances of the weather--something that is not in their hands.
“Most of our players have played in the BPL. And these questions [regarding the weather] arise a lot during international games. You [the media] didn’t have these sort of questions [during the BPL]. But every side thinks about the weather and the role it could play.
“Many teams have overcome that, many players have also done that. I think we should focus more on our execution and on overcoming the challenges without taking extra pressure instead of thinking about the conditions.
"Obviously, there is a lot of dew and so there could be problems while catching. We are practicing for the last few days, even under the lights. So hopefully, everyone has got some idea about how things could be. The rest depends on the execution.”
When asked about what he would do should Bangladesh win the toss, he once against emphasized on the importance of executing the game-plan while stating that he is also confused about what to choose.
“Actually, even we are under doubt about whether to bowl first or bat first [should we win the toss]. It depends on the dew. If it is not too dewy, then bowling [first] would be better. It all depends on the weather on a particular day.
"Instead of thinking about this, however, we should focus on our execution, regardless of whether we bat or bowl first. I don’t think there would be much difference whether we bat or bowl fist. And even if it does, we have the players necessary to reduce the contrast.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders' bowler believes that the objective of the team is just like everyone else: to win. And that the opponents in the tri-nation are strong. He put particular focus on Zimbabwe and their win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, while also subtly reminding that the Lankans only won one game in India.
“The wicket looks good so far. And the expectation is the same for everyone: we want to win and play well while doing so. The opponents in the tournament are not going to be easy [to win against], especially if you look at Zimbabwe, they are also a great side. They beat Sri Lanka at Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka are also a good team, they won one match in India."
When asked about the pressure surrounding the series, he believes that it is something that will always find a way to creep into the players' minds.
“I think that after completing a series, there is a feeling that the next one will be easy. However, I don’t think that’s the case. You will always feel pressure while representing your nation, regardless of who the opponents are. There will always be pressure.
"I think that it is also necessary [to have pressure]. The best performances come out under pressure. And I am sure that the players in our dressing room have played under much more pressure than what we feel currently. We have the ability to handle the pressure that comes from tomorrow. We couldn’t play like we wanted in the last tour [against South Africa], but we hope to execute in this tournament."
Both Chandika Hathurusingha and Heath Streak were once the coaches of Bangladesh and have a decent idea about the ins and outs of the team. Mashrafe also admitted that as he claimed that the Sri Lankan, in particular, could have a clear idea about the Tigers. He also stressed that should the team play according to the plans, there won't be many problems.
“We also think the same. They [former coaches Heath Streak and Chandika Hathurusingha] may know a lot about our team. Heath Streak coached us for almost 2 years. Hathurusingha only just left us. His analysis about us could be close since he was with us in our last series.
"We have to think about it. If we can implement even 70-80% of our game-plan, then I don’t think there will much problem. And that’s where we are focusing."
Mashrafe, a pacer himself, then went on to reveal the amount of faith he has on pacers, despite the fact that they haven't really performed well in the last year or so.
“Look, if you talk about pacers, then I have to say that we have been successful with four pacers. We haven’t played with less than three pacers. We have always kept faith in our pacers. We might not have been able to perform all the time, but whenever we succeeded in doing so, the match was won by us.
"But when we couldn’t, then the match was also lost because of us. There has always been faith [on pacers], but sometimes the consistency lacked [in pacers]. Obviously, we still have faith [on pacers] that the consistency will be back again like we had in 2015 and 2016. A bad patch can always arrive. We have to be positive instead of being negative.
"If you have noticed, most of tournaments this year are away from home. Even the World Cup is at England and we will have to play there. The wickets will be flatter there, so I think it is important to keep faith in the pacers and back them.”
About not feeling pressure, he said: “The thing is, the comfort zone depends on oneself. Mental pressure will always be there, it is only natural. As a captain, it is going to be there—and it is still there. I personally think about the application, I still have that [thought-process].
"But the dressing room is mostly without pressure. The pressure that usually resides in the dressing room can’t be felt right now. When I see my players relaxed in the dressing room, it helps me stay relaxed as a captain as well.
"I feel relaxed, but I also don’t want to be too relaxed. In the field of play, some of the best performances are executed when under pressure. I will hope to keep my main goals intact, then comes the rest."
Finally, he concluded the press conference by claiming that the players of the Bangladesh cricket team have worked hard to forge themselves into the players that they are today.
“Look, the players in the Bangladesh dressing room are forged to have a strong mentality. On behalf of the players, I send my respects to Hathurusingha. Under him, we got some great results. Obviously, we have no qualms in giving him credit for it. It is not that we don’t want to give him credit.
"But I have to admit that the players also executed their tasks. If you look at Tamim’s and Mushfiq’s record in the last year, and also Shakib’s career and Mustafizur’s [career], the coach didn’t actually do much for them practically. We had to forge ourselves; the ultimate pressure had to be taken by the players on the field—and they did that.”
