'Have To Move On..,' Shakib On Bangladesh's Big Loss Against England

Jatin

image-lnkg6uhtReece Topley picked four wickets and broke the backbone of Bangladesh batting 

England showcased a powerful performance against Bangladesh on Tuesday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, clinching victory by a significant 137-run margin in Match 7 of World Cup 2023.

Shakib rues lack of execution vs England

After being put into bat, the English side posted a colossal total of 364/9 in their 50 overs. Dawid Malan was the star performer, contributing an impressive 140 to the scoreboard. In response, despite half-centuries from Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh side was dismissed for a just 227. The rest of the team failed to make any significant scores, leading to their downfall.

Reflecting upon the defeat in the post-match presentation, Shakib Al Hasan expressed that while winning the toss seemed advantageous due to the prior evening's rainfall and potential help for pace bowlers, Bangladesh couldn't capitalize on the conditions. He conveyed that the team couldn't gain a good start and, once England grabbed the momentum, it became an uphill task for Bangladesh.

“It was a good toss to win, there was some rain last night. There was some help for the faster bowlers but we didn't start well. When you give them a sniff, they will always come at us strong. We did well in the last 10 overs but it will always be tough to chase 350. We planned well, but we couldn't execute. The ball was swinging nicely, needed to put in the right areas and build momentum. Once they got the momentum it was tough to contain them,” said Shakib.




Shakib believed that despite their defensive efforts in the concluding overs, which could have led to England targeting 380-390, a target of around 320 might have been more feasible for Bangladesh. The southpaw emphasized the need for the team to focus on upcoming challenges, particularly against a strong New Zealand side in Chennai, and advised taking a step-by-step approach to the tournament.

“I think the position they were in, they could have scored 380-390, we restricted them well. But I think 320 would have been a good total to chase here. It is a long tournament, we have a tough fixture coming up in Chennai, NZ are playing well. We have to move on, keep doing the right things and take it one game at a time,” concluded the veteran all-rounder.