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“It is still possible to win but if we go about our job the way we played the last two matches, things become harder. I believe our team has the ability to play better cricket. Whether we bowl or bat first, two early wickets or a good partnership boosts the team. [Sunday] is a new day, new match. We can’t win the series but if we play well in the last game, it will be good for us for the rest of the series. We are taking things positively. We will give our best to produce a favourable result,” Mashrafe said during the pre-match press conference Saturday. Mashrafe admitted that missing out on Tamim and Mustafizur is a big blow for them but also believes it’s an opportunity for the other players to step up and perform well. “It is a big blow to lose your top batsman and bowler, especially in South Africa. They are our best players but this is not an excuse. It’s a good opportunity for other players as well who will replace them in the playing XI,” he explained. “There were other things that held us back. We still have a chance to do well on this tour, which will help us in future overseas tours,” he said.
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Younger players have not fired in the tour so far but Mashrafe is of the opinion that the youngsters are working hard and will soon shine like they did in recent years. “Overall I would say there weren’t many individual contributions. While the likes of Mushfiqur [Rahim] and Imrul [Kayes] made runs, the others didn’t contribute in the same level to help the team’s cause,” he said. “I think there is a lacking in individual contributions on this tour. The younger players had an opportunity here and they have tried hard,” the 34-year old concluded.
