After Bangladesh's seven-wicket loss to India in the opening game of their three-match T20I series, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto opened up on the team's ongoing struggles, particularly in the crucial powerplay overs.
Bangladesh have struggled in the shortest format of the game of late and are unable to find consistency. The recent match against India saw these issues as Bangladesh managed only 39 runs in the powerplay, eventually setting a target of 128. On the other hand, the Men in Blue raced to 71 runs in their powerplay, comfortably chasing down the target with 49 balls to spare. Shanto, in his post-match comments, candidly addressed the team's shortcomings.
"Powerplay is definitely a worry. The approach we talked about (before the game), it will be successful if we make a good start with the bat. We have to keep the wickets in the first six overs, and score runs in those. Otherwise, those coming in next, it become too challenging for them. We have struggled in the powerplay. Those batting in the power play must take more responsibility," Shanto told reporters after the game.
I wouldn't say we played badly: Najmul Hossain Shanto
In their last eight innings, the opening partnership has contributed only 69 runs, with a highest stand of just 35. This lack of a solid foundation has consistently put pressure on the middle order. Shanto mentioned that apart from the ongoing issues in the powerplay, there are fundamental problems with the team's approach to T20 cricket.
"I wouldn't say we played badly. We are a better team than this. We haven't done well in this format for a long time, but I don't believe we are such a bad team. I don't want to talk about any individual player. I think the batting unit didn't do well today. There will be aggression in the way we approach our scoring, but sometimes we have to select the balls correctly. We will think about it, but we can't rush in changing our approach," he added.
The southpaw also highlighted the disparity between domestic cricket conditions and international standards. While acknowledging the skill gap between Bangladesh and top T20I sides like India, Shanto remains optimistic about his team's potential.
"We have the ability, but we have room for improvement in our skills. We have been batting in this way for the last ten years. Sometimes we do well. We have to make some changes, perhaps where we practice back home. We play on 140-150 wickets at home. Our batters don't know how to score 180 runs. I won't blame just the wickets, but we have to consider skills and mentality," he concluded.
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