Bangladesh T20I captain Shakib al Hasan admitted his side should have chased down the target – in the event of both a full game or revised after rain – against India at Adelaide Oval Wednesday.
Chasing 185, Bangladesh were strongly on course with opener Liton Das at the center playing flamboyantly.
Bangladesh were 66 without loss in seven overs when rain poured in.
Liton was blazing with form and had reached half century in just 21 balls.
He was batting on 59 when rain intervened.
The match resumed after around an hour amid prevalent controversy that the match officials had pushed to start the game early than usual and without draining enough water, and that it had upset the Bangladesh dugout.
Shakib and a few other members of the team were seen in conversation with the match officials as the groundstaff were busy preparing the field for the game to resume.
But putting aside the incident, the revised target of 151 in 16 overs meant Bangladesh needed just 85 in nine overs with 10 wickets in hand.
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The scenario was still heavily in favor of the Bangladesh side but as it happened, the batting line-up crumbled.
The game went down till the last ball with momentum shifting to India and Bangladesh frequently.
Bangladesh needed 20 runs in the last over, which young India bowler Arshdeep Singh defended.
Bangladesh lost yet another close game to India in a T20 World Cup – this time by five runs (Duckworth/Lewis method).
According to Shakib, the reason for their downfall was down to inexperience in handling the pressure and a bit of panic.
“The situation we were in, we should have been able to chase both the totals [the one before rain and after]. We at one point needed 70 runs in seven overs with 10 wickets in hand. It is disappointing that we were not able to cross the line but I am proud the way the team tried,” said Shakib to the media following the game.
“The field was bit slippery when we went back again but that would be more of a disadvantage to the bowling side. We cannot use that as an excuse. We should have won the game. We tried to play too many shots in the middle and lost the momentum in two-three overs. We still can take more positives than negatives from this game. We played well as a team,” the Bangladesh captain added.
Shakib denied notions he was upset at the match officials for pushing the game to start early.
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“There was nothing like that. Both teams were looking to play full 20 overs. We never thought that the D/L method will come in play, we were expecting for the full game to happen. But the revised total - I do not think it had an impact on our performance. Yes, the interruption might have impacted the momentum,” said Shakib.
Shakib termed Liton's dismissal the turning point.
Liton on 60 was not able to save himself despite a full-length dive at the non-striker's end as he attempted to complete the second run.
The 27-ball innings was laced with seven boundaries and three over boundaries.
“Liton's dismissal was crucial for the way he was batting. We lost the momentum following the rain but rain is something not in our control. We need to accept that and play,” said Shakib.
Bangladesh have now tasted two wins and as many losses in the group stage.
To remain in contention for a semi-final spot they have no option but to win their final game in the phase – against Pakistan - and also hope that India and South Africa lose the remainder of their games.
