||CF Correspondent||

It has become a common practice for the Bangladesh national team to talk about the positives after failing to have their last shot at success following a particular tournament. Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, too, did that to instill the least bit of optimism in the back of their fans’ minds. And this time, things do look a little bit different as Bangladesh have undoubtedly gotten the answers to some of their long-unanswered questions.

Mohammad Mithun and Liton Das, who failed to convey a positive message despite being around the national team for four years, have finally proven themselves when the need arose. Mithun salvaged the pride of the Tigers on two occasions in the Asia Cup by standing firm alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, while Liton gave them a total to fight with when no others could, in the final match of the tournament.

Mustafizur Rahman also embellished his variations with pace, something his ardent fans have been craving to see since the bowler became prone to injuries.

Mashrafe said: “There are many positives. I must mention Mithun and Liton at the beginning. We had two important places [to fill]. We were looking for two players and they are performing in those two places, which is very positive. Many things will depend on how much they can improve now. You can’t say whether someone is in form seeing just one or two of his innings, but hopefully they understand that they have the ability to perform at such stages.

“Mustafiz is slowly coming back to his usual self. It is a big plus. And the way the team tried, hopefully they will understand that anything is possible in difficult situations if your efforts are there. It would be great if they learn from here.”

“[Mehidy Hasan] Miraz has been playing for a long time, but he is a young cricketer. He is establishing himself as an all-rounder in the team. Before the last match, no one could score runs against him. He bowled tightly,” he added praising another young player of the team, Mehidy Hasan. 

With the ICC Cricket World Cup less than a year away, the Bangladesh captain is reluctant to say that this tournament was a platform to prepare for the global event. However, he agrees that the Asia Cup has certainly instigated the preparation process.