Bangladesh upbeat to avoid shameful whitewash
ছবিঃ সংগৃহীত
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh is eyeing to avoid a whitewash as they take on Sri Lanka in the three- match ODI’s concluding game at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.
The match starts at 3 PM (BST) and Tigers will be playing with their pride at stake after losing the series earlier as the host won the first two matches in quite comfortable fashion.
Bangladesh indeed surrendered in meek fashion in first two matches, paying the price of their wayward batting, listless bowling and shoddy fielding despite coming into the series as absolute favourite being higher ranked side than Sri Lanka.
‘’We have had a lot of high hopes coming to this series. I thought we let ourselves down as a team. I thought we had our moments in patches we couldn't capitalize and we have only ourselves to blame. Sri Lanka played some really good cricket, they were a better team than us especially in the last two ODI's and as I said we have only ourselves to blame, that was the reason I reckon,’’ Bangladesh stand-in skipper Tamim Iqbal said ahead of the game at Colombo on Tuesday.
‘’I think we have a lot to prove to ourselves. Maybe we have lost the series. So, the series will be 3-0 or 2-1, the difference will be that we will be able prove something to ourselves,’’ he said.
‘’Of course we couldn’t play to our potential in the first two matches. But if we could win this match playing good cricket, for our own satisfaction its very important. Many people are watching us play. They are expecting from us, for them we have to play well.,’’ he added.
Bangladesh came to Sri Lanka with a point to prove a point and the mission was also to heal the pain of disappointing World Cup by winning the series at Lankans den for the first time in history.
Bangladesh was though without the service of their four key players-Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Mohammad Saifuddin-they were still confident but the way things turned out in the opening two games they have no other than them to blame.
The Tigers conceded at least 60-70 runs in ground fielding in first two matches, clearly indicating their fatigued state and in addition also missed some crucial catches.
The off-form of senior batsman like Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah looked too heavy for the team to bear while the bowling was equally wayward with no one can contain the Lankans young players.
‘’If we see, in the first two matches we did something wrong in all three departments. The start we expect to do in our batting, we didn't start that way. And in bowling, we weren't as discipline as we would have liked. And in fielding we also didnt maintain the standard that we would have liked. So, in these two matches,’’ said Tamim.
‘’I won't be able to give any specific reason for which we are in this situation. I think it won't be right only to blame the bowlers. We all are responsible for what happened in the first two matches. I think both batting and bowling unit needs to step up their game in order to achieve something from the last match. As I said, I haven't discussed with the coach regarding the change. If that happens, I don't think too many changes will come,’’ Tamim concluded ahead of the third match that will be the two team’s 48th encounter in ODI history.
Of the last 47 meetings, Sri Lanka won 38 matches and Bangladesh won 7 while the rest of the two matches were abandoned during the 47 matches they played so far against each other.
