'We didn't bowl well': Shakib Al Hasan on Bangladesh's bowling against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup Super 4
Sep 09, 2023
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 10 : Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan on Saturday said that they didn’t bowl well and credited Sri Lanka batters for the way they handled the new ball in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.
Maheesh Theekshana's spin magic and skipper Dasun Shanaka's breathtaking spell allowed Sri Lanka to comfortably claim the second-longest ODI win streak (13) in their Asia Cup Super Four triumph against Bangladesh on Saturday.
It was a game of spells and nerves and Sri Lanka did a better job on both counts to clinch a 21-run victory in the 'Nagin Derby'.
Shakib credited Sri Lanka for handling the new ball and mentioned that Sadeera Samarawickrama took the game away from them.
"Well, I thought it was a good toss to win at the start. We didn't bowl particularly well. There was help for the bowler but we didn't get the wickets but credit goes to Sri Lanka. We came back really strong but then Sadeera played very well. We needed 80-100 run partnership to chase this," Shakib Al Hasan said during a post-match presentation.
Bangladesh captain reckons that the top four didn’t get enough runs and they didn’t bowl well at the start. Bangladesh skipper added that when chasing 260, they needed a good partnership at the start of around 80-100 to win the game.
"Our top four didn't get enough runs and we didn't bowl well at the start," Shakib said.
Towhid Hridoy played a vigilant knock of 82 runs off 87 and guided his side to a little close to the chasing target however Sri Lanka bundled them out for 236.
Praising Hridoy, the Bangladesh captain said that he batted really well and the batter has played in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) where he had a good tournament which has given him the confidence to perform at a higher stage. Shakib also said Sri Lanka were the better team and they deserved to win.
"Hridoy batted really well. He played LPL here so he brought that confidence. He played really well. If he could have batted a little longer, but then there are always a lot of ifs and buts. But Sri Lanka played better which is why they won," he added.
Shakib said that the bowlers tried to bowl well and the seamers were a bit expensive but they took all the wickets.
"Seamers were a little on the expensive side but they also picked up all the wickets so you cannot complain," the Bangladesh captain said.
