NEWS
Follow UsAfter missing out narrowly on a semi-final qualification in the 2022 T20 World Cup, Bangladesh have proven to be quite a fierce customer here in the 2024 global event. The Tigers have progressed from a tough Group D, where they won three out of their four games, and the only loss was a narrow one against South Africa.
Thus far, Bangladesh have already surpassed all kinds of expectations, with their bowling firing all cylinders on both the pace and spin front. Ahead of their first Super 8 fixture against Australia, their head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, insisted that their bowlers have been a strong factor and have used conditions to the fullest.
"When we came into the tournament, our first target was to get into this Super 8. So, I think we achieved that with great... what can I say, our bowlers kept us in the game? So, we played the conditions really well, used the conditions in our favour," Hathurusingha said ahead of Bangladesh’s clash against Australia.
"So going forward for us, being here, we're very happy to be here. And then anything from here for us is bonus. So, we play with a lot of freedom. And we are going to challenge all three teams the best we can," he added.
Is there any sort of pressure riding on the back of Bangladeshi players? Coach Hathurusingha has rejected all of that claim, wanting his team to go out there and enjoy their game.
"This game, why we start playing this game? To enjoy. So that fact of enjoyment, we don't take it away from the players," he said.
"How big is the game? That doesn't mean that they have free license to go and do whatever they want. They have a particular role to play in the team and to do that role is yes, they have freedom and then enjoyment always, whether we play for your country or club cricket or the park cricket... that's why we start playing this game. So, enjoyment factor is always in our forefront, but they have to do their role for the team," he added.
Hathurusingha’s past experience of working closely with New South Wales, where he was the assistant coach, would definitely come as a big factor ahead of their clash against Australia. However, the coach was quick to put that down, stating that the experience really wasn’t going to help them that much in the clash.
"12 months ago I was there (NSW) with them. I know a lot of the guys, they're very good players and they're very confident about their own game. We know a lot about their strengths and limitations, [but] that's not going to help much but on the day the condition is the biggest factor in this game. So, our focus is how we use that conditioning to our advantage is the main thing we are talking about," he added.
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