Batting is a big concern now, says Mashrafe

Tigers’ poor batting performance raised a fresh concern before the remaining games of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, said Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza on Wednesday.

“I think batting is a concern for us. We were struggling at the start of our innings and we have lost too many wickets. They bowled well but we lost too many of our wickets at the start,” he told the broadcaster after the game which Bangladesh lost by eight wickets.

Mashrafe won the toss and opted to bat first. The visitors lost their first four wickets before posting 60 on the board and were 94/6 at one stage. This poor start made it difficult to set a big challenge for the hosts. 

Bangladesh posted 232/10. Mohammad Mithun, the right-handed middle order batsman, was the highest runs getter for the Tigers hitting 62. Mohammad Saifuddin contributed with his solid 41. 

Tamim Iqbal (5), and Mushfiqur Rahim (5) failed to reach a double figure while Liton Das (1) disappointed the fans with the bat.

Chasing the target, Martin Guptill, the Kiwi opener, carried his bat with 117 and helped his team take the lead in the series 0-1. The remaining matches will take place on February 16 and 20 respectively at Christchurch and Dunedin. 

“We need a week to adjust with the condition,” the Bangladesh captain said. “But we don’t want to make any excuses. We will try our best in the next game.”

Source: unb