From where Rhodes derives the confidence to win World Cup
BCB : Roton Gomes
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes is desperate to win the World Cup, which might sound surprising given the tough job ahead of the Tigers. But Rhodes himself is clear as he revealed that the confidence stemming from the Bangladesh’s Asia Cup experience.
In the Asia Cup in Dubai last year, Bangladesh tasted a 136-run defeat to Afghanistan in the group phase that made their task tougher. Bangladesh in return-leg match, they edged past Afghans by three runs to kick-start their memorable journey that eventually took them to the final of the Asia Cup.
They lost the final to India in the last ball thriller
“I can draw on the experience in the Asia Cup,” Rhodes said.
“It was a wonderful clause, and we almost got there. We nearly won the final off the last ball. Yeah, I think the Bangladesh team -- and we all know from watching, if you really break it down and we do win these matches coming up, we only need five games, and we've won the World Cup. That's one way of looking at it if you think of them all as knockout games.”
“Of course, that is not easy, and the first challenge and the first step is Afghanistan. That's why we won't look further than the next game, which is Afghanistan. They're a tough team. They're a tough bunch of cricketers. They really fought hard against India. We're really respectful of them. They pushed us hard in the Asia Cup, and thankfully, we came out on top in that game.”
Rhodes believes the victory against Afghanistan will open a new chapter for them in the World Cup.
“We know it's going to be a difficult game tomorrow, but we're not fearful. We are confident. We've been playing some good cricket, but, yes, if we do win game after game after game, who knows?”
