Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed claimed on Saturday (October 17) that his batting unit failed to capitalize on its chances against Zimbabwe in the first game of the tri-nation ODI series, believing that 270 was an attainable target on the batting-friendly Abu Dhabi track.
Bangladesh’s batting was exposed in a 99-run defeat against Zimbabwe at the Sheik Zayed Cricket Stadium, as they were bowled out for 172 in 33.4 overs while chasing 272. The collapse destroyed what had been a good start with the ball.
Bangladesh has now failed to chase down a mark of 240 or more in eight of their past ten innings while batting second. The defeat occurred in Towhid Hridoy‘s debut match as full-time ODI captain, and the batting unit was dealt a major setback when Litton Das was ruled out of the tournament owing to a right hip joint ailment.
However, Taskin, who took three wickets, was not about to use Litton’s absence as an excuse.
“We didn’t play well, so we should have chased it, but we couldn’t establish a single partnership. Just one partnership would have won the game, but batting errors occur frequently,” he remarked.
“In bowling, perhaps the consistency has improved, but in batting, for example, I believe our batters should have won this match, but they were unable to. But there is still one game remaining, and we hope to come back well enough to advance to the final,” he remarked.
“The issue is consistency, and it has been determined that we must improve both consistency and game awareness.”Our lack of game awareness is exacerbated by the fact that everyone possesses the skill, and all of you who watch cricket are aware that every batsman has demonstrated their ability to bat successfully. So, team-wise, you’ll notice that we crumble rapidly under pressure; this is what we need to overcome. If we want to be a big team, we need to overcome this. “I’m sure we’re all working together to figure out how to get this fixed quickly,” he said.
“270 was definitely chaseable, at least against Zimbabwe,” Taskin told reporters after the match.
“I hope that if we can win the next match and fight back, Inshallah, it will be feasible. Because if we don’t make it to the final of this tri-nation tournament, we will be morally defeated, but we will strive to make a big comeback in the following match,” he stated.
Bangladesh has not won a bilateral series away from home since defeating Ireland at Chelmsford in 2023. When asked if that record was a source of concern, Taskin stated that the team needs to improve across departments.
“No, truly, this has been a reality check, telling us where we need to develop, batting, bowling, and as a team. Because this is not an individual game, one or two individual successes are meaningless if we are unable to win the match. So, because it’s a team game, we need to develop everything together.
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And batters and bowlers share the same obligations because it is a two-sided game. So, I’m sure our batsmen are working hard, and I hope they’ll smartly repair their mistakes and make a comeback because there’s another game coming up, but these issues need to be addressed immediately. I’m confident, Inshallah, that they will be resolved very soon,” added the fast bowler.
Rohit Verma is a cricket enthusiast and writer specializing in match analysis, team reviews, player form, pitch reports, and cricket predictions. With a keen interest in the details of the game, he creates informative content designed to keep readers engaged and updated with the latest cricket action.
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