It’s not the situation that Bangladesh would like to be in. But their skipper has urged his team to trust their experience in assessing the pitch and approach the game accordingly going ahead into the 2019 ICC World Cup.
“The team that correctly assesses the pitch faster, they will be ahead in the game. I think we misread the pitch in the New Zealand game (at The Oval). If we had read the pitch right during that match, we would have targeted 260-270, and not 300-plus,” Mashrafe said speaking at the pre-math press conference on Sunday. “There's confusion about the (Taunton) pitch as well. We heard it will be grassy but some are saying that it is usually a flat pitch. I think those who go out in the middle can assess it quicker, since they end up getting criticised for the defeat.”
The talk arose after it was learnt that the Bangladesh side were influenced by the outside the think-tank in their loss to New Zealand. Against the Kiwis, the Bangladeshi batsmen were seen throwing their wickets which eventually resulted in a low 244, a total that was eventually chased down by the Kiwis.
“The behaviour of a pitch changes as the match progresses. When you are playing in a ground like The Oval, you are likely to have in the back of your mind that there will be 330-350 runs," Mashrafe said. "I think our calculations were spot on against South Africa. But if Shakib (Al Hasan) didn't get out at that time against New Zealand, we would have gone along the same path against New Zealand.
“When (Mohammad) Mithun and (Mahmudullah) Riyad were batting, we had the right thinking, aimed at a score around 270. It is hard to judge the pitch listening to the radio. They can only speculate, and only comment on things as it progresses in front of them. I think those in the middle should make the decisions based on their judgment.”
Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Saeed Khan
