In pursuit of 236 in the first One-Day International (ODI) in Sharjah, Bangladesh were cruising at 120/2 in the 26th over. However, that’s when tweaker Allah Ghazanfar decided to take matters into his own hands and triggered a collapse that saw the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side being bundled out for just 143.
However, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan is not too perturbed by the loss, saying that the number of times his side have beaten Afghanistan overshadows this loss.
“Look, we’ve beaten Afghanistan many times before. We even won against them in the first ODI match in the World Cup. Then we won the T20 series at home, and we’ve won a series on home soil before. Just because we lost one match doesn’t mean everything is lost,” Mehidy said ahead of the second ODI.
“In international cricket, every team is of high quality. You can never underestimate any team. So we’re trying to move past the poor performance in this one match. Perhaps the pitch didn’t behave the way we expected. As batters, especially the set batters like Shanto and I, we needed to take responsibility. I’ve always said that.
“We still have a chance. We lost one match, but there are still two left. Rather than thinking of both matches, the next one is crucial for us. We are a bit on the back foot, playing an ODI here after many years. After 7-8 months without ODIs, there was a sense of adjustment among everyone. We are preparing accordingly, figuring out how to gain momentum on this ground.”
Shanto and Mehidy were the well-set batters before the collapse, and the latter believes the Tigers should have taken their side home. But at the same time, he acknowledged that it was difficult for the batters to follow.
“Look, when Shanto and I were batting, the pitch seemed easy for us. But after 20 overs, as the ball softened and aged, it suddenly started turning a bit more. You could see that Shanto and I were struggling with our batting, even as set batters. Yes, we were both well-set at that time, so one of us should have seen it through to the end. I kept telling Shanto that since we were finding it difficult, it would be even harder for the incoming batters,” he said.
“The pitch started turning slowly and then suddenly straightened out. You couldn’t predict which ball would turn and which one would go straight. It happened suddenly. At that time, both Shanto and I made mistakes. We discussed this later. On this pitch, I think it was crucial for the set batters to finish the game. Of course, both Shanto and I made mistakes.”
Mehidy believes losing Mushfiqur Rahim to injury is a blow, given Litton Das is also out due to illness. But he backed Jaker Ali to come good on his ODI debut. “Mushfiqur Bhai’s injury is definitely unfortunate. We all know how valuable Mushfiqur Bhai is for the team. His style of play and the way he’s served the team have been remarkable,” said Mehidy.
“As for team combinations, look, we don’t have many options. Litton Das is sick; if he were here, maybe the team would be more balanced. But as that’s not an option, best of luck to Jaker Ali. It’s a good opportunity for him. If he gives his best, it’ll be great for both his career and for the country,” he added.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here
