Bangladesh captain Liton Das admitted to mixed feelings after his side pulled off an eight-run victory over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi to stay alive in the Asia Cup. While relieved with the result, he was critical of the team’s batting and some areas of their bowling.
"Winning the game is a little bit of a relief, but at the same time, we didn't bat well in the last four or five overs. We also didn't bowl well in the middle overs," Liton said after the match.
"I know we had enough runs on the board, but we were still 15 to 20 runs short with the bat. The way our bowlers bowled was very good, especially Nasum Ahmed, who played after a long time and showed his skill. Rishad Hossain also took a wicket in the middle overs. The bowling was very good today,” he added.
“The partnership between Saif Hassan and Tanzid Tamim was very crucial at the start. In the same way, in the bowling side, when Nasum came and took an early wicket, it made it even more special."
The victory was set up by Bangladesh’s bowlers, particularly Nasum Ahmed, who was returning to the XI and grabbed the new ball to devastating effect. He dismissed Hazratullah Atal with the very first ball and went on to deliver a wicket-maiden, finishing with figures of 2-11 from his four overs. His early breakthroughs derailed Afghanistan’s chase and earned him the Player of the Match award.
"I always fancy bowling with the new ball. That's something I love the challenge and when the captain asked me to do it, I was ready for it," said Nasum. "I was facing a little bit of a problem with gripping the ball properly due to sweat, but my priority was to keep the ball stump-to-stump."
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan admitted his team had their chances but failed to finish strongly. "We were in the game until the end. Until I got out, we were there, but we just couldn't finish it up. I think 30 runs in 15 balls nowadays is very achievable, but at that time, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and couldn't execute our shots well," Rashid reflected.
He also credited his bowlers for pulling things back after Bangladesh’s flying start. "Definitely, the way we came back with the bowling was a huge job done. To restrict them to under 160s, after they had 90 in the first 10 overs, was a huge job. I think it was a 160-170-run wicket, but we played some irresponsible shots where it wasn't needed," he said.
Looking ahead, Rashid added: "It is a crucial time, especially in the Asia Cup, where you have very few games, and each game is quite important for us. The next game is a big one against Sri Lanka. We need to be well-prepared. We need to learn from our mistakes and be strong mentally, and that's going to be a challenge for all of us."
