Bangladesh’s stand-in Twenty20 skipper, Mahmudullah, said that they have to find the right combinations and approach to excel in the shortest format after their 75-run loss to Sri Lanka in the second T20I in Sylhet, thereby conceding the two-match series 0-2 to the visitors.
Bangladesh made several changes to their line-up in the T20 series, but failed to change the nature of results with Sri Lanka maintaining their dominance throughout the tour. The absence of Shakib al Hasan due to injury was too big a void to fill for the players coming in, while the need for playing with the right aptitude seemed to be the missing link for the hosts in the shortest format, with them reeling at No 10 in the ICC rankings.
“I think we are still looking for the right combination in T20s,” Mahmudullah said on Sunday (February 18). “I hope we can figure it out quickly, otherwise we are in a lot of trouble in T20s. I think the fault is in our execution. It is tough to survive in T20s if we don’t have individual plans and are not courageous enough,” he added.
Mahmudullah also conceded that the bowlers needed to get their plans right if they wanted to do well in the format, while the batsmen need to take their opportunities in the Powerplay. “If you are giving 10-12 runs every over and still not trying anything different, you are not going anywhere. You have to take the wickets, despite giving away 15 runs,” he said. “For our bowling unit, we have to take early wickets otherwise we won’t be able to survive in T20s.
“Their opening bowler took two wickets despite going for runs and it helped them in the Powerplay. The first six overs are very important in T20s. Our top order has to go hard even if we lose wickets,” he said, adding that he would discuss with the team management their shortcomings, but more importantly, stress on taking up responsibility, that he believed was lacking at the moment.
“The responsibility is upon every cricketer to take us forward in T20s. We have to figure out all the nitty-gritties by discussing with the coaches and the team management. We have to face the facts and find out where we are making mistakes. If we do this quickly, we will perform better.”
