Mirpur (Bangladesh), 26 February। Bangladesh's limited-overs skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza believes the team is heading in the right direction in Twenty20 cricket.
Bangladesh started their T20 journey with a win in 2006. They moved beyond the group phase in the inaugural edition of the World T20 in 2007. But they have had little to show in the shortest form of the game since then, reports bdnews24.com.
They have managed to win just 15 of their 51 matches in total, with victories against Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan among the Test-playing teams. Bangladesh lost two matches against Zimbabwe in a drawn series last month. The Netherlands and Hong Kong too have beaten Bangladesh in the 20-over format.
Mortaza and his men did not stand a chance against India in the Asia Cup opener on Wednesday. But the captain is unwilling to compare the 45-run defeat to Bangladesh's past performances.
"We are on the right path. T20 is not a game where you can do well everyday but we are improving. If we keep playing like this, I believe we can reach a good position. Changes are not possible overnight. We used to think we don't play well in this format. At least that attitude has changed," Mortaza said.
Bangladesh will play the United Arab Emirates in their second Asia Cup tie here on Friday. Mortaza is keen on bouncing back from their defeat.
"We didn't do well in the first match but still have at least three more matches ahead. We should definitely take it a match at a time. Hopefully we can do something good if we can maintain the way we are playing," said the skipper.
Agency