Bangladesh chased the 145-run target in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong in 17.4 overs. While Bangladesh remained ahead in much of the contest, many felt that, had they batted with more intent, they could have finished the game earlier than they did. However, their top-order batter Towhid Hridoy disagreed, saying the side chose caution deliberately, not out of hesitation, but because the situation demanded it.
Talking to the media after Bangladesh wrapped the chase with 7 wickets to spare, Hridoy said they played keeping the game situation front of mind.
“We wanted to ensure that the match doesn’t slip away from us,” Hridoy explained. “We tried to end the game early, but I couldn’t connect the ball that well. I think the result is more important than finishing one or two overs earlier. You (the media) would have had something to say had we lost today.”
“We could have finished the game earlier, but we stuck to the demands of the situation. Our mentality is to always win. I think we played smart cricket. We could have finished two or three overs earlier, but we could have lost one or two more wickets. We must prioritise partnerships. We tried to hit more boundaries, but it didn’t happen.”
Bangladesh’s captain, Litton Das, who anchored the chase with Hridoy, admitted they were slower than ideal in parts of the chase; however, he echoed the 24-year-old batter’s statements as well. Das said the pitch and bigger boundaries at the venue forced the batters to be extra cautious and prioritise rotating the strike instead of big hitting.
Bangladesh find themselves in what is the tougher of the two groups, with teams like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan among their opponents. Playing against the first-timer Hong Kong was a chance for Bangladesh to better their net run rate, as was done by Afghanistan, who, in the tournament opener, halted Hong Kong at 94 while defending 189.
Currently, Afghanistan are at the top of Group B, and for Bangladesh to dethrone them, they would have needed to chase the target within 12 overs. However, Hridoy believes they will not have to worry about the net run rate because they aim to beat all the teams to make it to the next stage.
“So, should we have gone to the ground to lose against Hong Kong? Our target was to win. Every team can have their day in T20s. Maybe we could have finished earlier had I struck a few more boundaries,” Hridoy said.
“We want to beat Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, so run rate isn’t what we are worried about at this stage. We don’t want to complicate matters so early in the tournament.”
Bangladesh face two tricky fixtures next: Sri Lanka at the same venue on Saturday, followed by Afghanistan on Tuesday. These matches are likely to decide the dynamics of what is already shaping up as the group of death, with the margin of error practiaclly non-existent. Bangladesh have never won an Asia Cup, having lost the finals of the tournament thrice (2012, 2016, and 2018).
