Mashrafe: Early wickets cost Bangladesh the match

Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza admitted loss of early wickets dented the Tigers' slim chance of chasing down 370 runs on a good batting wicket. It seems the two teams are following a pretty similar pattern during this tour as South Africa batted with dominance once again, but on the same pitch, Bangladesh batsmen faced collapse. In the third and final ODI, the Tigers were reeling on 61 for the loss of five wickets at one stage. And Mashrafe believes it was their batting, particularly, that let Bangladesh down in the Buffalo Park ODI. “When we saw the pitch I thought we should be okay chasing 280-300 runs. Our batting was disappointing. We lost three early wickets which put the team under pressure. Shakib [al Hasan] and Sabbir [Rahman] later put together a good stand but those early wickets really made it impossible to raise a decent score,” Mashrafe said to the media during the post-match press conference Sunday.

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This is only the second time ever Mashrafe finished a three-match ODI series wicketless. First time it happened was back in Australia in 2008. Mashrafe admitted he should have bowled more aggressively, like he did in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England and Wales. As it were, Mashrafe failed to make his 50th ODI as captain a memorable occasion. “It was a tough tour. If we rate the wicket, I was quite unlucky too. I think it will be helpful for me in future. I should have been more aggressive, like I was in the Champions Trophy," the 34-year old explained. Bangladesh lost in all three departments comprehensively against host South Africa. It was expected that this tour will be challenging. But the way the visiting side surrendered in every match is a matter of grave concern.

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Also read: South Africa seal convincing series sweep over Bangladesh

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“I think we are not having enough confidence to bat and bowl. But what happened has been happening since the Champions Trophy. We have to improve quickly, or the overseas bilateral series' in future will become very difficult,” Mashrafe said. “Neither the batsmen nor the bowlers took responsibility. I think we have to find out from particular players what’s happening. I don’t think this can be solved by training a lot in South Africa. It is a long process. We have to show ability the next time we go on a tour.” Bangladesh will play two T20Is against the host this week before ending their tough away series against South Africa.