Chasing a giant total of 382, Bangladesh held their nerves to put in a good fight but could manage 333 for 8 in their quota of 50 overs, thus falling short by 48 runs on Thursday.
Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh plays with one hand after fracturing his left wrist during Asia Cup 2018 Group B match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, UAE on Sept 15, 2018. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
Bangladesh opener batsman Tamim Iqbal admitted that it was their lack of experience in chasing big totals which led to them bite the dust against Australia in their World Cup match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Chasing a giant total of 382, Bangladesh held their nerves to put in a good fight but could manage 333 for 8 in their quota of 50 overs, thus falling short by 48 runs on Thursday.
“The truth is that we don’t have much experience of chasing big totals,” Tamim said at the post-match presser.
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The left-handed opener, who scored a 74-ball 62 in Thursday’s match, said his plan was that Bangladesh would reach about 200 runs at the 30-over mark and then taking their chances.
“I was not looking at the scoreboard but the way I was planning was that if we can score around 180-200 runs in 30 overs then in the last 20 overs we would be able to take some chances,” he said.
“Because if we tried to play too aggressive at the start and found ourselves in a spot of bother (by losing wickets), then this 330-340 runs wouldn’t have been possible either. If we need to score 160-170 runs (in the last 20 overs), which is usually chased down in T20 cricket, we could give it a try but unfortunately when we had to capitalise,” he added.
After Soumya Sarkar got out early, Tamim and Shakib al Hasan (41) shared a 79-run partnership for the second wicket and made sure the Bangla Tigers were alive in the game. However, he rued that the duo couldn’t go for long.
“I got out when Mushfiqur and I were going well while Shakib also got out when we were building a good partnership. We played well but could have played better if we hadn’t lost wickets at the wrong times,” he insisted.
Bangladesh are placed fifth at the points table with five points from six games (2 wins and a rain-washed game). They need to win all their remaining three matches against Afghanistan (24 June), India (2 July) and Pakistan (5 July) to keep their chances of semi-finals alive.
“See, we still have a chance. I think none of my teammates are thinking that way (that the World Cup is over). The one thing they are thinking is: if we win our last three matches there might be an opportunity to qualify for the semi-final,” he said.
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