Batting failure costs Bangladesh

Bangladesh batsman Afif Hossain (C) lies on the ground after he was throw from Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi (R) during their second Twenty20 international match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday.— AFP photo

Sports desk: Failure to post fighting totals has been the main reason behind their defeats against Pakistan in the first two Twenty20s of the three-match series, feels young Tiger batter Nazmul Hossain Shanto.

‘The most important issue is that our batting hasn’t been good. If we could have batted a bit better, the matches would have been more competitive,’ Nazmul said on Saturday after Bangladesh lost the second T20I against Pakistan by eight wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

The margin of the defeat doesn’t show the total control Pakistan had over the contest as the fate of the match was all but sealed after the first innings.

Batting first, the hosts posted a meagre 108-7 in the board and the visitors slowly but surely chased down the target in 18.1 overs.

Nazmul was the only Bangladesh batsman on Saturday to show some intent as the left-hander top-scored with 40 off 34 balls with the help of five fours.

Nazmul, however, fell 10 runs short of scoring his maiden half century in T20Is when he gave Shadab Khan the simplest of return catch.

After his dismissal, Bangladesh’s innings hit a rut as they managed to score just 26 runs off the remaining 40 deliveries.

Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten half-century then ensured the victory and the series for the visitors.

Nazmul regretted not playing a longer innings.

‘I feel that if I could have played a slightly bigger innings, then the team would have been in a better position. I don’t think we posted a winning total. If I could have scored 70 then maybe the team total could have been around 150-160,’ he said.

Bangladesh batters also failed to post a decent total in the first T20 on Friday, scoring 127-7 after choosing to bat first.

Bangladesh bowlers put up a better fight in that game as at one point they looked with a good chance to defend the total before Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz snatches the match away from the hosts.

Nazmul feels that the pitch in the second T20 was better for batting then the previous match, which further highlights how poorly Bangladesh batted on Saturday.

‘Today’s [Saturday] wicket was better than Friday’s. Today [Saturday] a few deliveries from the spinners gripped on the surface. The pacers also got some bounce occasionally. But comparatively, the wicket for this match was better than the previous match.’

Bangladesh had won its previous two T20 series at home against Australia and New Zealand respectively but have already lost the series against with a game in hand.

They will play the dead rubber third match on Monday before moving on to the two-Test series against the same opponents.