Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes took little offence in their exit from the semi-final race of the World Cup and said that their results and fighting spirit in the past seven matches were a fair reflection of their ability.
Bangladesh won three out of their seven matches and were competitive on other occasions, which earned them lot of plaudits in the World Cup.
They ended their chance to qualify for the semi-final after a 28-run loss against India on Tuesday, with only one game against Pakistan left.
Chasing a target of 315 runs, Bangladesh pushed India till the end, which despite the disappointment of defeat, got a positive mark from Rhodes.
‘I thought we did fantastically well after that opening blitz by Rohit [Sharma]. We were very, very happy at the halfway stage only to be chasing that score,’ he said.
‘You know, it could well have been 370, 380, even 400 at one stage. So we were delighted that we showed a lot of spirit and a lot of fight to come back, but ultimately it was that real start that, if we’d have just started a little bit better — to beat India, you’ve got to play at your best.
‘But it was pleasing to see some fight. I think it’s a reflection of the team. We’ve only picked up the three victories, but we’ve pushed a lot of these big teams throughout the competition, and with a little bit of luck, we may well have been one of these top four,’ he said.
-With New Age input
