'Not sure about Bijoy's place'
Mashrafe Mortaza was visibly frustrated after losing the
game to Sri Lanka in a very embarrassing manner. After the Tigers won the toss
and elected to bat first, they were bundled out for a puny 82 and the Sri
Lankans chased it within 12 overs.
And Mashrafe was not one to hide his disappointment.
However, he doesn’t want to complain as these things can happen on a bad day.
‘This is a bad day. After losing early wickets, the middle
order could have built up the innings. Even after losing 4 early wickets, we
had the ability to reach 180-200s. I think we didn’t apply ourselves.’
However, he then spoke of his expectations from the team and
how they failed to fulfil it.
‘I would have complained about the batsmen had they not
worked hard, but they tried and it was difficult from there. I had expected
them to pull out Bangladesh [from the bad situation] as they had done it
before.
‘This was a great opportunity for them to do so. If they had
played with a lesser strike-rate, maybe no-one would have questioned them.’
The captain then labeled the loss as a wake-up call.
‘We knew that Sri Lanka could beat us, but nobody expected
us to lose like this. After playing so well in the last three games, losing
like this is not acceptable. We still have to play positive cricket, however,
as this is a wake-up call for us before the final. Our nerves might be stronger
now.’
This is the second time that the middle-order batsmen got
the chance to show their ability, but they failed to so, said Mashrafe.
‘They [the middle-order] got a chance against Zimbabwe, but
failed. Today [against Sri Lanka] they got another chance [and they] failed
again. I would say that since Shakib has gone to the top-order, we have got the
expected results [from the top-oder], but the middle-order [batsmen] will have
to take more responsibility.’
Speaking of Nasir Hossain and Sabbir Rahman, he said: ‘I
think they prefer to score runs quickly rather than spending time on the pitch
in order to settle down. Even in the first-class, their strike-rates are above
100. I think we lack the habit of playing in such situations. I think they are
feeling bad [about their performances] more than I am. I want them to think
about this before the final.’
While many thought that the wicket supported the bowlers,
Mashrafe had a differing opinion.
‘The batsmen that spent time on the pitch opined that the
wicket wasn’t that bad. Mushfiq batted well, but he didn’t get enough support from
the other end. I don’t think we can blame the wicket after listening to the
batsmen.’
Anamul Haque Bijoy scored a duck today, missing out another opportunity
to cement his place in the line-up. And Mashrafe claimed that he “is not sure”
and that “he will be backed” because “he has scored runs in every form of
domestic cricket.”
When asked about whether they were overconfident about today’s
game against Sri Lanka, Mashrafe stated that he “didn’t see that [attitude]
from anyone” as they “didn’t think like that even against Zimbabwe, let alone
Sri Lanka.”
Ever since Shakib has been promoted to the top-order,
Bangladesh’s middle-order seems to be lacking. On that, Mashrafe said: ‘I think
this is a great opportunity for them. Shakib had been playing at 5 for 11-12
years and he fulfilled our expectations in the first 3 games, so we can’t always
play depending on him.’
‘200-220 would have been a fighting total. Mushfiq and Sabbir have the ability to play big innings. Even if we lost, I had hoped that the middle and lower-order batsmen would do well so that they gain confidence ahead of the final.’
