Karogi Sports Park: Bangladesh captain Litton Das rued the lack of preparation and game time in the Asian Games stood as a major reason for their loss to Pakistan in the cricket semifinal at the Karogi Sports Park here in Nisshin on Thursday.
Bangladesh batters struggled big time in tricky conditions and managed to put up only 111/7 in the shortened 13-over per-side contest, which was curtailed due to a slushy outfield. Pakistan went on to chase the target with six wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.
None of the four seeded quarterfinalists got any game time due to rains in Nisshin, as Litton called out the lack of preparations for the event.
"No, it was never ideal," Litton told reporters on the preparation after the Pakistan loss. "We had been sitting in our rooms for several days and then lost the toss, so there was not much we could do.
"The wicket was also difficult to read. It would have been better if we had played well, but it is never easy to sit around for so long and then come out and play an extraordinary innings. Credit goes to Hridoy for bringing us back from that position. The partnership between Mosaddek and Hridoy was also very good," he added.
Bangladesh were scheduled to face Malaysia in the fourth quarterfinal; however, the clash was washed out, and the Bangla Tigers made it to the semis on virtue of being the higher-ranked side.
Litton highlighted the alien conditions they encountered in the semifinal, as their batters could not gauge the conditions. "It is natural that when you have been indoors for so long and then finally get to play on a wicket, you need some time to understand the conditions. We had no such reference point because we had not played a game in the last few days and did not get the opportunity to practise on the wicket either,” he said.
"So, we started the first few overs without really knowing what to expect. Gradually, the batters got a better understanding of the conditions,” he said, adding that losing the chance of not winning the gold is disappointing for them," he said.
"Obviously, when we left the country, we said we wanted to play in the final. We could not make it there. We obviously wanted to win gold, and that was what we were trying to achieve. We will keep trying. Another Bangladesh team will come in the future, and they will try as well.
"But when certain things are lacking, a lot of factors go beyond your control. We obviously gave it our best, and those who come after us will continue trying to achieve it," he added.
The skipper also backed Mustafizur Rahman, who had an off-day and gave away 41 runs in two overs with a wicket of Saim Ayub. "I think if we had bowled a little better in the middle overs and conceded fewer sixes, we would have had a better chance," he said.
"But when certain things are lacking, a lot of factors go beyond your control. We obviously gave it our best, and those who come after us will continue trying to achieve it," he added.
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Article Source: IANS