We are underdogs: Dynamites coach
Dhaka Dynamites players leaving the ground during a BPL match. :BCB
||CF Correspondent||
Star-studded Dhaka Dynamites coach Khaled Mahmud said on Sunday that they are underdogs as they prepare to take dark-horse Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League eliminator on Monday.
Dynamites earned a berth in the last four on the back better run rate as they ended their group phase campaign with Rajshahi Kings on equal 12 points after earning a crucial win against bottom-placed Khulna Titans following their five successive defeats.
Dynamites won five from their opening six games before their form slumped downwards despite having some of the biggest Twenty20 cricketers in their squad and the force with which it went downwards only raised doubts over their qualification in the last four.
On the other hand, Chittagong Vikings performed exceptionally well to come this far on the back of some unified effort that saw them earn success against some big spending squad and turning out to be a major contender for the title, who already defeated Dynamites twice so far.
“They beat us twice previously, so I think we are an underdog now,’’ Khaled Mahmud told reporters ahead of the match.
“It is knockout stage and this particular match is so important for us. If you lose, you will have to quit. This game will decide our future. Earlier, we had faced a loss against Chittagong at the group stage. We lost the game despite having a fighting spirit. We were very close to them. But tomorrow is a new day,’’ he said.
“Mushfiq is leading his team from the frontline. He played some amazing innings. They have also some promising cricketers. Delport performed well in the last match. They have good bowlers as like as Rahi, Khaled. Hardass is also a good bowler. Frylinck is a match-winner, but I am not sure about his inclusion. They have enough performers,’’ he added.
“Definitely, we want to win and we will concentrate on our performance rather their players. Earlier, our top order had failed to make a big score. We lost the top two or three wickets at a low score. But now we have worked on it,’’ he said.
“We are a balanced T20 team including some big-hitters. I agree with you. So, I think our top order will take the responsibility and make a good start for the later batsmen. If they do well, we will get a chance to do something,’’ he added.
While Mahmud is releasing the pressure through claiming to be underdogs, pace bowler Khaled insisted they want to win three in a row against Dynamites.
“We want to beat them third time round. Dhaka is a big team. But there is no problem for them though they (Dhaka) are big team because we beat them in the last two matches. In this match, Inshaallah, we will seek to play better cricket and win it,” said Khaled.
“Now all are determined that we will do better in batting and bowling and fielding-all the three departments. Last match we missed some catches. We will work on those areas and try to utilize it,” he added.
