Provided by 7DAYS.ae
MOHAMMAD ASHRAFUL has admitted he was wrong to go into the first ODI against Pakistan on Tuesday with just one specialist fast bowler.A The Tigers were mauled by 152 runs by the hosts and the Bangladesh skipper said his decision to play just one recognised quick cost them dear in Lahore. The Tigers started the day well by taking three Pakistan wickets for 70 inside 18 overs. But a partnership of 185 runs between skipper Shoaib Malik (85) and Mohammad Yousuf (108 not out) helped the hosts to a total of 322.
Fast bowler Mushrafe Mortaza (two for 52) and all-rounder Farhad Reza (two for 41) were impressive for the Tigers with the new ball, but their spinners failed to keep the Pakistan batsmen in check. Their generous bowling was followed by another woeful batting performance as Bangladesh capitulated to 129 all out in 30 overs, after the target was adjusted to 282 from 39 overs because of power cuts.
However, Ashraful believes they would have had a better chance of containing Pakistan if they had another specialist seamer. "We missed one seam bowler," the 23-year-old said. "Mortaza and Reza bowled well for us in the first 20 overs, but after that we missed a bowler." Ashraful also blamed his batsmen for failing to capitalise on a batting-friendly Lahore pitch.
"We didn't stick to our team rules and got out to rash shots. It is difficult chasing over 300 but we just didn't bat well," he said.
[c] 2007 Al Sidra Media LLC
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
No comments:
Post a Comment