Mashrafe feels Liton deserved better, rues Tigers’ ‘rushed approach’

GBNEWS24DESK//

Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza pointed at Bangladesh’s ‘rushed approach’ becoming the key factor in their painful five-run defeat (D/L) against India in the T20 World Cup’s Super 12 fixture at the Adelaide Oval in Australia on Wednesday.

Mashrafe, who led the Tigers to their famous victory against England in the 2015 ODI World Cup on the very same venue, said the match was for the Tigers’ to lose.

“We needed 85 runs in nine overs with 10 wickets in hand, probably it was our rushed approach that cost us the match,” he wrote on Facebook today.

Chasing 185, Liton Das’ onslaught placed the Tigers on the front foot, with Bangladesh well-placed at 66 for naught in seven overs before rain interrupted proceedings.

However, once play resumed with a revised target of 151 in 16 overs, wickets kept falling at regular intervals, starting with the unfortunate dismissal of Liton as the batter was run out for a 60-run blitz off 27 balls.

Mashrafe said Liton deserved better and deemed his knock as the game’s best.

“Poor Liton! His innings didn’t get the recognition it deserved. It’s not just the strike-rate, he was the best batter combining both innings together,” he said.

The Narail Express opined that despite playing well, failure to hold nerves resumed following rain-delay had brought the downfall for the Tigers. However, Mash hoped for Bangladesh to end their World Cup campaign on a high.

“My best wishes to Bangladesh in their next match. It would be great if they can finish it off with a victory,” Mashrafe concluded.