Defeat in the final will be a motivator, says Mushfiq
Mushfiqur Rahim
||CF Correspondent||
It has been more than a week since Bangladesh suffered another heartbreak in the Asia Cup when they met India in the final match of the tournament. However, evaluating the Tigers’ performance in the competition is something that will go on until they begin their next assignment.
Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who is currently undergoing a rehabilitation process, spoke about the team’s loss in the title-decider for the first time since returning from the UAE.
“We played in the finals in the last two editions. We had a very good chance this time and were also planning to win the title. We got upset because we went so close,” said Mushfiqur.
According to the former Bangladesh skipper, the bowling unit of the team deserves credit as they helped the side win some close clashes in the tournament.
“The bowlers are certainly not responsible. We did not score too many runs, but the way they stopped each team, it was amazing. The bowlers and the fielders must be credited,” he said.
Mushfiqur is disappointed to have failed to make any important contribution with the bat in the final despite being in a good form. He steered the team out of danger on two previous occasions in the tournament but could not meet the expectations when it mattered the most.
“The position Miraz and Liton put us in on that wicket, I should have continued the innings as I was in a good form.
“If we had a 50+ partnership, we could’ve scored 260+ runs. The match could have been different in that case. It is not easy to chase the target in the final,” said the 31-year-old.
The Asia Cup final was Bangladesh’s third multi-nation tournament final this year and they failed to hold their nerves on all three occasions. They have had two more unsuccessful attempts to win the much-coveted continental trophy back in 2012 and in 2016. However, Mushfiqur is not ready to jump to any conclusion and thinks that this defeat will inspire them in future.
“Overall, it wasn’t bad. However, it feels bad, but now this will motivate us. Maybe we will try to do better in future,” he said.
