Bangladesh Will Play For Pride, Says Captain Mahmudullah

Cricket Image for Bangladesh Will Play For Pride, Says Captain Mahmudullah (Image Source: AFP)

Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah insisted on Friday that his team will now play for pride in the remaining two matches of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He added that his side will put everything on the line to win the last two matches against tough oppositions like Australia and South Africa. 

With a three-run loss to West Indies at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh's chances of progressing to the next stage of the tournament are now hanging by a slim thread.

"Definitely we'll play for our pride. We've been trying hard and hard to get a win. Two more games to go. We'll put our everything definitely to win these last two games," said Mahmudullah in the post-match press conference.

Mahmudullah along with Litton Das threatened to take Bangladesh home in a chase of 143. But with Das's dismissal on the final ball of the 19th over, the equation became 13 off the final over. With four required off the final ball, Andre Russell nailed a yorker which Mahmudullah couldn't connect with, which meant that Bangladesh missed their chance of pocketing the first two points in the tournament.

Talking about the situation in the last seven balls of the innings, Mahmudullah pointed out that Das's dismissal was a potential turning point for his team. Das had attempted to slog over long-on. But Holder, stationed there with his tall height of six feet and seven inches, stretched his arms over his head to complete an important catch.

"I think at that point of time we were in a game, we were in a good race against the West Indies. If Litton's last shot would have been 6, I thought it was probably 6. But that's an advantage when you have a 6'5" or 6'7" tall fielder in your outfield who can catch. So I think probably that was one crucial moment in that catch."

The 35-year-old felt if either of him or Das had stayed till the end, the result could have been different. "And in T20 games you have the sort of close calls every now and then. Unfortunately, we came second today, but I think probably if me or Litton got into the last over, we were both set, would have been a different story. Having said that, probably Russell nailed his yorkers quite well."

Mahmudullah signed off by expressing his disappointment on letting down an energetic bunch of Bangladesh supporters. "I'm very disappointed because we let them down. They have been supporting throughout all the games. So please, keep supporting us, and inshallah, we'll try to deliver some wins."