Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim on Sunday said that the hosts were better prepared than Afghanistan ahead of their crucial first round game of the ICC World Twenty20 on March 16.
In their debut Asia Cup campaign, the Afghans shocked the Tigers by handing them a 32-run defeat, which was the debutants’ maiden one-day international win over a Test playing nation. But despite the defeat, Mushfiq still believed that the Tigers were favourites going into the tie.
‘I think we are ahead in every department,’ Mushfiq told the media in the first pre-tournament press conference at Mirpur.
‘But in T20s, it hardly matters who is ahead and who is behind rather it depends on how a team perform on a given day.
‘One or two batsmen can change the course of a game while if a bowler or two provides a spell conceding six or six and a half runs per over, it can easily change the game.
‘It will be crucial how we perform on that day and stay calm under pressure. No matter how we performed recently as a team, we are fully fit and so we will be different strength-wise,’ said Mushfiq adding that, ‘We are confident that we can play our best cricket and win that game.’
The Tigers began their preparation for the mega event with an optional training session. The hosts heaved a sigh of relief as the ailing duo, Mashrafee bin Murtaza and Tamim Iqbal, returned to training alongside Mushfiq and Abdur Razzak.
On the other hand, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Farhad Reza and Shamsur Rahman joined the Bangladesh A team against Zimbabwe in a T20 practice match at Fatullah.
‘I think Sohag Gazi will be available from tomorrow [today] while Mashrafee and Tamim practised on [Sunday],’ said Mushfiq. A side strain and a stiff neck ruled out Mashrafee and Tamim respectively from the entire duration of the Asia Cup while Gazi injured his right thumb during the game against Afghanistan on March 1.
‘I am confident about starting the tournament with my keeping gloves on,’ added Mushfiq, who skipped wicketkeeping duties in the Asia Cup after incurring an injury during the second and final Test against Sri Lanka last month.
The Tigers have so far registered just a single victory in four previous editions of the World T20, against the West Indies in 2007, and the 25-year old was looking forward to breaking the jinx.
‘We have not been consistent in the T20 format,’ said Mushfiq.
‘Though we have played quite a few matches recently, but overall, we don’t play the format like the other international teams.
‘But we have played quite a few domestic tournaments these days. Some of the players played well,’ said Mushfiq.
Mushfiq concluded by saying that Bangladesh is not looking beyond the first round and have their eyes set firmly towards winning the group and progressing to the Super 10.
‘Our first target is to pass the first round. We have an important match against Afghanistan and we are concentrating on that now,’ said Mushfiq.
‘After that we have games against Hong Kong and Nepal and we hope to win against them and qualify for the next round. After that we are going to set a different goal,’ he added.
-With New Age input
