Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team are just a step away from confirming a berth in the Super Eights of the ongoing World Cup. Considering Bangladesh’s current form, it will be a major upset if they do not reach the second round, given that their opponents are Associates Scotland and Namibia.
But the focused junior Tigers are in no mood to take any opponent lightly. They are also not taking their place in the Super Eights for granted.
And this is all down to Nepal’s shocking win over a formidable New Zealand side last Thursday. The junior Gorkhalis took the tournament by storm when they beat the Kiwi youngsters by 32 runs in a thrilling encounter in Fatullah, thus forcing the cricketing world to sit up and take notice.
Keeping Nepal’s win in mind, Bangladesh U-19 opening batter Pinak Ghosh informed that his team do not want to take any chances. Rather, Pinak said, they would reserve the utmost respect for their opponents.
The junior Tigers’ next encounter is against the Scots tomorrow and Pinak said they need to be on their toes.
“We saw Nepal defeat New Zealand [Thursday] so things like this are part of the game. And it shows that no opponents are to be taken lightly. We do not want to think that we are facing a weak opponent. We plan to go match-by-match and opponent-by-opponent. At the moment we are focusing on the Scotland game and then Namibia. We will think of the quarters after these matches,” Pinak told the media yesterday.
The left-hander played a vital role with the willow in Bangladesh’s win over South Africa in the tournament opener last Wednesday in Chittagong, scoring a 51-ball 43 in a team total of 240.
Prior to that, the southpaw blasted a fine 109 against the West Indies in a youth ODI which preceded the 43-run knock against Zimbabwe in a warm-up game.
To add to his current run of form, South Africa should be Pinak’s favourite opponent, given that his highest youth ODI score of 150 came against them when they toured Bangladesh last year.
Rather than basking in the glory of his current form, Pinak is hoping to improve further as he said, “I started well [against South Africa] but made one mistake which brought an end to my innings. I will try not to repeat the mistake in the upcoming matches.”
He added, “It is true that singles ease off the pressure. It is bad if singles are restricted. That makes a batsman go for the big shots only to be dismissed. Sir (Bangladesh coach Mizanur Rahman) always tells me to run hard between the wickets and I try my best to obey the advice.”
On a lighter note, Pinak said he often tries, albeit unsuccessfully, to break his diet schedule.
“They are always there, watching me. Starting from coach, trainer; everyone. They restrict me from having junk food like burger and sandwich. I try to dodge them every once in a while. But, I am rarely successful in that,” said Pinak, sporting a cheeky laughter.
