Bangladesh are looking forward to take the positives from their last two matches instead of remaining morally down as they seek to end the ICC World Twenty20 on a happy note against New Zealand today.
The Tigers were still searching for clues as what prompted them to the madness in the last three balls against India that spoiled their all good works earning them a shocking one-run loss at Bangalore.
The loss after such a brave performance came as a huge blow to their morale, something that is expected to hunt them forever. It’s hard to overcome the shock in just two days but skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza said they have hardly any choice.
‘I think we have grown up as a unit and certainly made some improvements,’ Mashrafee told reporters in Kolkata. ‘We were in contention for most of the time in the last two games before they slipped away from us.
‘Inexperience is still there as we do not face such a situation more often,’ said Mashrafee.
If statistics is anything to be taken into consideration Bangladesh are yet to find a strong foothold in the shortest format of the game as they have just won 20 of their 61 Twenty20 internationals with only five of them coming against top oppositions.
Two of their five major Twenty20 wins came in the recent Asia Cup where they reached the final. They showed a gulf of difference with the associate countries in the qualifying round of this tournament before going down cheaply against Pakistan.
They were highly competitive against Australia and India in their last two matches, which Mashrafee said was an indicator of their improvement.
Asked if their improvement came at a similar pace with other Asian nations, Mashrafee, however, refused to draw any comparison.
‘It’s difficult to compare,’ said Mashrafee. ‘But we have prepared a good team. We have reached a stage in the last one-two years. We have reached quarter-final in the ODI World Cup.
‘Condition and situations was difficult but still we played close matches. World Cup is a stage you have to give your best but we made some mistakes despite playing good cricket.
‘Maybe we will be able to do that against New Zealand,’ he said.
Mashrafee added that they are yet to find out the reason behind their last match loss to India and thanked the fans for backing them as always.
‘I still cannot explain why we lost but certainly it is not the end of the world,’ Mashrafee. ‘The way we lost, we can’t really describe. No word for any players to describe. Even if we say sorry it’s not going to be enough.’
-With New Age input
