‘We should have won the second game’

27 March 2021, 18:00 PM

UPDATED 28 March 2021, 00:41 AM

Obviously, it [Shakib Al Hasan and Mahsrafe Bin Mortaza speaking against the BCB in the media] is embarrassing. Both are iconic players and maybe they said such things out of anger, frustration or disappointment. I am not sure, but obvi-ously those words are certainly embarrassing for us. I don’t think it is a major is-sue. It can be solved through discussion. And I don’t think it’s right to gossip about it as both have spoken from the heart. I think Papon bhai (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) is the only person who can handle this situation. KHALED MAHMUD, BCB GAME DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

While Khaled Mahmud, former Bangladesh captain and chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s game development committee, was concerned about the poor showing in all three departments in New Zealand, newly appointed national selector Abdur Razzak was still trying to find positives from the ODI whitewash.

While Khaled Mahmud, former Bangladesh captain and chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's game development committee, was concerned about the poor showing in all three departments in New Zealand, newly appointed national selector Abdur Razzak was still trying to find positives from the ODI whitewash.

There was a lot of criticism regarding the Tigers' approach on the tour with the bat, ball and in the field. Barring the second ODI in Christchurch, where the visitors posted a fighting target of 272 and had a chance to win the game, Bangladesh were below-par.

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"Obviously I am disappointed. But you have to look at the positives as well, such as the batting in the second ODI and the bowling, which was also relatively good. There were some areas where they were unable to execute the plan. It's always difficult for subcontinental teams to go and win matches in New Zealand but there was a chance to win the second ODI," Razzak said.

But while the former veteran left-arm spinner was positive, Mahmud pointed to areas that the Tigers needed to improve in the coming days.

"It's always difficult to play in New Zealand but it's not an unknown for sub-continental teams. We should have won the second ODI after posting 271. We couldn't field properly and dropped a few catches. The bowling was also below par in a few areas but still, we should have won the game," Mahmud said.

"We were totally outplayed in the other two games. Our batting was very poor and the bowling was also bad. Many are saying the bowling was relatively good but for me, the bowling was also not up to the mark. Overall, we didn't play well at all in the ODI series except the second game."

Bangladesh's fielding department is a major area of concern after the series, which saw experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim drop a few easy chances behind the stumps.

According to Mahmud, Bangladesh showed how poor fielding could condemn a team to a series defeat in New Zealand. He also said that Mushfiqur would have to decide his future with the gloves.

"There is a term in cricket: 'catches win matches.' If you are not able to take regulation catches when other teams are taking some outstanding catches, you can't expect to win matches. If you only blame the fielding coach and make him the scapegoat, it's not right because he is doing his job. It's important to see whether players have the urge to improve their fielding as much as they do their batting and bowling," Mahmud added.