‘I'll return to Test cricket if need be’
Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh in the final match of the tri-nation series on Saturday. The Tigers fell 79 runs short of the target at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. They reached the final after thrashing Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in the first two matches. They won the third match against Zimbabwe as well, but were handed a shameful defeat in their last group-match against the Lankans before the final game.
When asked about the team’s current condition, Mashrafe said, ‘Normally everyone is frustrated. We did not expect what happened. We certainly wanted to win, but we could not. In the dressing room, everyone is down when a final is lost.’
Shakib bowled 5 overs in the 1st innings and sustained an injury while fielding. The all-rounder’s absence was seen clearly during the team’s batting.
Regarding Shakib’s absence, Mashrafe stated, ‘The best player of the regular team was not there. When Shakib fell down, seeing his hand I became sure that we wouldn’t get him while batting. Every player knew that Shakib was not able to play. We discussed in the dressing room to not think too much about his absence in the batting line-up. There were enough batsmen to chase down 220.’
‘The way the wicket was behaving, without spending enough time here it would be difficult to play shots. There weren’t enough runs in the [first] 10 overs, because of which the batsmen played the shots. It is difficult for me to explain exactly what was going in the batsmen’s mind at that time.
‘The way Riyad and Mushfiq were batting after ten overs, it would become a little easier if the pair carried on for longer. Maybe Shakib could give a little effort if he was there. Because it was the final. But the scenario changed after Mushfiq was out.’
Bangladesh have played in a total of four finals in ODIs and T20Is including two Asia Cup finals and lost on all of them. The team failed to hold their nerves until the very end on all occasions.
‘Today, we were more disciplined than the other finals. Especially if you look at our bowling. A few catches might have been dropped while fielding. I think bowling was better than the last match,??? Mahsrafe opined.
Mahmudullah Riyad scored more than half of the team total. He was the last batsman to get out. He made 76 runs but failed to reach the target as no other batsman could provide proper support.
‘Support from the other end was definitely necessary. Riyad was dismissed as the last batsman. To play shots is very normal at that time. If he got support from 3-4-5, then his game would get more depth. When went on to the crease, he was still trying. It is really difficult if your partners cannot help you,’ said Mash.
Did the team choke like South Africa? The ODI captain’s take on this matter was very clear. He said, ‘I won’t say that. After becoming a team like South Africa, maybe we can judge if we choked or not. It's not fair to match Bangladesh with South Africa. They are always ranked in the first three spots. We have to reach that level.’
About the pitch, the 34-year-old said, ‘We wanted to play on a high-scoring wicket from the very first match. We have four pacers, Shakib was there. Miraz played as well. So our bowling unit was strong. We always wanted to play on good wickets.’
Despite knowing that there would be short-ball threats from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh failed to execute their plans while batting.
‘See, we've been watching them bowl short deliveries for 7-8 days. We also talked about this too. It is not that you can develop a skill in 7-8 days. We did the homework but could not deliver accordingly,’ said Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.
According to the Tigers’ ODI skipper, Shakib’s absence in the first Test against Sri Lanka will be very challenging. The match will start on 31st January in Chittagong and Mahmudullah Riyad will be leading the team as the Test captain will miss the game due to his injury.
The pacer said, ‘This is a challenge for the team. How to get out of here, how to play it well. Of course, I would say the Test series is very important for us. Test series is different from ODI series. If the [tri-nation] series was won, the entire team would have been different. So, we are looking at the Test now. Anyone will say that it will be difficult without Shakib. There is nothing to do with injuries. It's been done now. We will have to play without him until he becomes fully fit.’
‘I must try if the team needs me. But now Mahmudullah is there [as captain]. I believe that he can control the team and all the senior players will be there to support him,’ Mashrafe said regarding his comeback in Tests.
