Despite suffering a heart-breaking three-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the final of the Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE Friday, Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes was a proud man.
The Tigers had to fight against the odds from the very start of the tournament as opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was ruled out from the remainder of the Asia Cup due to injury. Coupled with the hot Middle Eastern conditions and all the travelling to and from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Bangladesh faced a tough time to say the least. And the last bit of bad news came in the form of all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, whose left little finger injury saw him miss the all-important grand finale.
With that said, the Tigers gave a great account of themselves and took the fight against India till the very last ball of the game, only to fall agonisingly short. Rhodes however, said he was extremely proud with the Tigers’ effort following their arrival in Dhaka from the six-nation regional competition.
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“It was a marvelous experience. Lots of good points came out of the trip. We had some low moments as well but we’ve learned a lot about the squad, and the final was a great occasion. It was just a shame we couldn’t quite cross the line, but we put in a great effort. The bowlers in particular, to try and defend that low score. We’ve wasted an opportunity definitely but we fought all the way and that’s what’s hopefully the Bangladesh people will see that this team’s starting to really, really fight,” Rhodes told the media Saturday.
“Disappointed but you got to put things in perspective. We had the chance to win, we couldn’t quite take that but we put in a pretty good effort. India (are) a fantastic team, we know that, they’re full of millionaire cricketers and there’s plenty more on the bench so to push them all the way to the last ball was a very good effort. Just a little bit disappointed we couldn’t quite get over the line in the end,” added the former English cricketer.
The former wicketkeeper-batsman was also elated with the temperament shown by his charges, despite the odds stacked heavily against his side.
“I think it was tough. The travel was tough, the heat was tough, the guys gave everything they could. We played with a slightly depleted side, no Tamim, no Shakib in the end. And it was difficult. All I can is the guys gave everything, every little ounce and bit of energy they had. There were four other teams who didn’t reach the final. Some good teams so for us to get there and play so well in the final, with all those tough conditions and the travel, was a great effort. So I’m very proud,” he concluded.