Wanted team to finish on high: Tamim Iqbal after loss against Afg in 3rd ODI
Mar 01, 2022
Chattogram [Bangladesh], March 1 : Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal expressed disappointment after his side got thrashed by Afghanistan in the third and final ODI of the three-match series, here in Chattogram on Monday.
Rashid Khan scalped three wickets whereas Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored an unbeaten ton to defeat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third ODI.
"Losing back-to-back wickets makes it difficult. Three run-outs also didn't help. If we could have managed 250, we could have probably had a better chance. Credit goes to Afghanistan. They were hungrier than us to win the last game. Rashid [Khan] bowled very well today although we played their spinners really well in the first two games. [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz batted really well. I wanted the team to finish [the series] on a high and get the maximum points," said Tamim as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
"You don't know about the future. We are playing next against South Africa and Ireland in their conditions. We are playing against England too, so there's nothing guaranteed. You have to make sure you get maximum points from every opportunity," he added.
The skipper further said that his target is not to win but to finish at number four in the 2023 World Cup.
"If we win one or two [matches], we will probably qualify for the World Cup. [But] it is not my target. My personal target as a captain is to finish in the top four. If you want to claim that you have come to win the 2023 World Cup, it wouldn't make sense if you qualify as the seventh or eighth team," said the skipper.
Bangladesh was bundled out for 192 with only Liton Das playing a decent knock of 86 runs. Later, Mehidy Hasan scalped two wickets for his side but couldn't save the match as Afghanistan chased the target with 59 balls in spare.
