Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain said that they were in the hunt for a spot in the semifinal but changed their plans after losing early wickets against Afghanistan in their do-or-die game in Kingstown on Tuesday.
In the final Super 8 game, the Bangladesh bowlers managed to restrict Afghanistan to 115 for 5. They needed to topple the target in 12.1 overs which would’ve brought them level with Afghanistan and Australia on points, but ahead of the two on Net Run Rate.
However, eventually, Bangladesh could neither achieve a spot in the semifinal nor overtake the two other sides on NRR. After slipping to 23 for 3 at one stage, Bangladesh opted to change their game plan and go for a consolation win instead of attempting to secure a place in the semis.
Furthermore, Bangladesh ended their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign on a disappointing note after having another batting debacle. They were handed an eight-run loss which helped Afghanistan advance to the last four in the global tournament for the first time in their history.
“We wanted to win the match. It was the initial plan and when we saw 115 runs on the board, we had a plan to win in 12.1 overs. The batting group made a lot of poor decisions. It is frustrating and disappointing. We wanted to win this game. We had the chance in our grasp. We couldn’t take it,” Najmul told reporters following their loss to Afghanistan.
“The plan was to try (to win in 12.1 overs) if we get a good start in the powerplay. We thought that if we didn’t lose early wickets, we could take the chance (to go for the semifinals). When we lost three wickets, we had a different plan,” he said.
“We wanted to see how we could win the game. The middle order didn’t make good enough decisions, which is why we lost the game today,” he said. “It’s a matter of a lot of frustration and a lot of pain too. Because before coming to play this match, everyone’s plan was that we would win the match first. But if such a situation arises, then we will definitely take the chance that we had. But we couldn’t take it. And the whole batting line-up made very bad decisions.”
It was not the first time that Bangladesh’s batting made them pay. Even as they advanced to the Super 8 stage, the performance of the batting unit always remained a concern. Najmul apologized for letting down their fans as he felt as a batting unit they could not give their best.
“Overall, first of all, I would like to say that as a team, we let down all the fans of Bangladesh who follow us and support us. So, I apologize on behalf of the team. As a batting group, we couldn’t give the best to the people of the country. We feel sorry for that,” he said.
“As a batting unit, we let down the fans and the people of our country. We gave them a hard time. But there was no lacking in our efforts. Everyone tried their best. Everyone was honest in their place. But at the end of the day, we couldn’t make it. So, on behalf of the team, I apologize,” he added.
