The five-run defeat against Ireland in the last warm-up match before the ICC World Twenty20 will be a wake-up call for the side, said Bangladesh all-rounder Sakib al Hasan on Monday.
Chasing 165 runs for victory win, Sakib’s blistering 28-ball 52 made Bangladesh the favourites until the last 10 overs of the game but lack of contribution from the middle-orders saw them fall short of the target.
Sakib said they shouldn’t get demoralised by the loss as it was just a practice match and they should work on improving the areas where they lacked.
‘This should actually shake us up,’ Sakib said. ‘I believe we lacked intensity in the last 10 overs because with the batting we have there is no reason why we should lose that game from the position we were in.
‘Practice games are important but they are not that important that you should start feeling demoralised after a loss.
‘These matches allow you to assess where you stand individually and as a team and you work on the findings. Now we know where we need to improve and which areas we need to brush up,’ he added.
Sakib was happy with the way he batted but also thought that he should have stayed till the end and he pointed out that a lack of partnerships cost them the match.
‘The wicket was very good and the ball was coming on to the bat. The outfield was quick too. I should have finished the match but overall I felt I was batting the way I wanted to.
‘I guess the lack of partnerships, after I got out, probably cost us the game. We still had around 10 overs but nobody really got in,’ Sakib said.
Sakib is sure that they will be able to brush themselves up before their first match of the mega event and expects to win at least a match that will carry them to the second round.
‘Well I think there are certain individual fine-tuning that are required. We have around four days before the first match of the tournament.
‘The atmosphere will be different and you have to be totally switched on from the first ball. I am sure we will get there.
‘There is a good chance that we will qualify for the next round if we win one game. We are taking one match at a time,’ said Sakib.
Meanwhile, a delighted Irish batsman Paul Stirling who scored 71 from 41 balls, said that the win was a massive boost for the side.
‘It’s always nice to score a few runs which gives you confidence going into the tournament proper, so hopefully I’m peaking at the right time.
‘We’re playing great cricket as a team and it’s a fantastic achievement to get four wins out of four and a massive confidence boost for the lads,’ Stirling said.
Stirling talked about their team spirit which helped them get back in the game and eventually leave the field with a win.
‘We’ve a great team ethic and spirit and we never know when we’re beaten. They (Bangladesh) were heavy favourites today going into the final 10 overs, but we managed to claw it back getting wickets at vital times.
‘We managed to scrape through although I was always confident when they needed 10 from the final over with Trent (Johnston) in control,’ he said.
-With New Age input
