Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain expressed optimism about his team's chances to advance past the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup, believing victories in their remaining matches could significantly improve their position. After their initial Super 8 loss to Australia, Bangladesh faces crucial matches against India and Afghanistan to keep their semi-final aspirations alive.
Currently, both Australia and India have won their opening Super 8 games, putting them at the top of the group. Bangladesh's path to the semi-finals hinges on their ability to secure wins in their upcoming matches, especially against India, which could set the stage for an exciting conclusion to the group stage.
Najmul told reporters after the defeat to Australia, "The next two games are crucial for us. Winning both would place us in a much better position. We intend to compete for victory in every match."
Addressing the team's struggles, Najmul acknowledged their difficulty in batting freely but recognised the challenges it poses to their bowlers, who are left defending modest scores. He noted that while each player has shown their capability in the past, pinpointing why they couldn't perform as expected in recent games was challenging. "It's hard to understand why we aren't playing with freedom. Everyone has the ability and has shown it before. We've encouraged them to play their natural game, but it's not translating on the field," he said.
He also stated that continuing to play cautiously would make it tougher for their bowlers to defend low totals. "We've discussed playing with freedom, but if we continue like this, it's tough for our bowlers," Najmul added.
Reflecting on their approach against Australia, Najmul defended their initial cautious strategy but conceded that they should have targeted a score of 160 to 170 to set a challenging total. Bangladesh managed only 8 runs in the first half of the power play and ended up with 39 at the end of it, far from ideal in the T20 format.
Najmul elaborated, "We planned to play cautiously initially to preserve wickets, but we struggled to execute, especially in the power play and the last few overs. Ideally, we should have aimed for 160 to 170 runs." He noted that if he had stayed longer, the team might have reached that target. "The wicket was slow, and the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat initially. If we had a set batsman to see through the innings, we could have achieved a higher score," he remarked.
Discussing the fielding challenges, Najmul attributed some difficulties to the conditions affected by rain. He observed, "We thought 160 would be a good total given the slow wicket, but the wet ball after the rain made it easier for them to bat against our pace bowlers."
As Bangladesh gears up for their do-or-die clashes against India and Afghanistan, Najmul's focus remains on executing their plans and overcoming the obstacles that have hindered their performance so far.