Following the embarrassing 13 run loss in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh opener Shamsur Rahman, who top scored with 62 in the match, said yesterday at the Sher –e-Bangla National Stadium that the side had put the game behind them and were focusing on the upcoming matches.
“We don’t want to keep thinking about what happened in the last game. We want to correct the errors of the first match in the next two matches,” he said.
He went on to offer the opinion that Sri Lanka would be under pressure in the next match, “I think Sri Lanka is also under pressure. We are playing well at home and we almost beat them. We just didn’t have luck on our side,” he said.
Bangladesh lost both T20 matches off the last ball and seemed to be in the driver’s seat for most of the first ODI and Shamsur thought luck played a big part in the final result of all three games.
“Luck was not on our side in the last three matches, although we played well. We still have two matches remaining. We have committed a lot of mistakes, which prevented us from winning. Everyone in the team is positive. Our focus is to get back in the series,” he said.
Nonetheless, the young opener was aware of the shortcomings Bangladesh had shown. Speaking of his own dismissal and the catches the Tigers dropped, Shamsur said, “I was not casual. I slipped and the bat got stuck just before the crease mark. I would have reached the crease hundred times out of hundred. If these little things went our way, we would have won the game.
“If we had taken the catches, they would have been bowled out for 80-odd. They scored an additional hundred runs, and the match slipped out of our grasp.”
Having lost the first ODI after having Sri Lanka at 67/8, the team came in for much criticism and Shamsur said the team management had talked to the players about handling pressure, “The coach and captain, and also senior players have told us how to handle tight situations and play under pressure. The Asia Cup and World T20 are coming up so we have to learn from these mistakes and look forward positively.”
Meanwhile, veterans Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza who missed the first game – Tamim with a neck strain and Mashrafe due to an ankle problem – are both doing well and likely to play today, said Shamsur, though the final decision will be made after the team physio assesses their condition.
