Can Tigers go all the way?
BANGLADESH cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza said his team would want to play their Champions Trophy semi-final against India without any pressure and that no one should tag them as champions just yet.
“No one should start thinking that we have become champions. Our boys want to play without any pressure and I would want to play with a free mind. There is a process for everything and if we follow that, Inshallah, we will do well,” Mortaza told Bangladesh newspapers ‘Jugantor’.
Bangladesh defied all odds to reach the semi-final of the Champions Trophy and will now take on favourites India at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Bangladesh lost to England in the tournament opener by eight wickets.
They got some divine help in their second match against title favourites Australia when they were down in the dumps and heavy rain caused the tie to be abandoned and the points were split.
Bangladesh rode on superb efforts with the bat by Shakib Al-Hasan and Mahmudullah to beat New Zealand in their third game in Group A and book a semi-finals berth.
Apart from Shakib and Mahmudullah, the likes of batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim have also helped the team to punch above their weight.
To cap things off, Shakib Al-Hasan and Mahmudullah’s magnificent hundreds in a 224-run fifth-wicket stand won them the game against New Zealand after being 33/4 chasing 266.
On Saturday, England’s 40run win via Duckworth Lewis method against Australia ensured that Bangladesh qualified for the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, former captain Gazi Ashraf feels more than training on the pitch, it is the mental preparedness that is key for Bangladesh.
“I feel mentally they need to be ready. That is the key against India. This is their best chance at glory and I hope a great match will be on show. I really hope Bangladesh come out winners showing great mental strength.”
India and Bangladesh have fought bitter battles in the past and the latter have been on the losing side on two occasions in ICC events.
If the 2015 World Cup quarter-final in Melbourne was a lopsided affair as India won by a whopping 109 runs, it was the 2016 T20 World Cup loss by just one run which still hurts.
Habibul Bashar, one of Bangaldesh’s greatest Test batsmen and one who skippered the side to their maiden Test win back in 2004, said he predicted the Tigers would play the semifinal and that the trophy is not far away from them now.
“We played brilliant cricket against New Zealand. The trophy is not far away now. At the start of the tournament, I had said we will play the semis. We have to give our best in the next two matches. I dream of Bangladesh playing the final.”
Former captain Mohammad Ashraful added that it is normal for Bangladesh to play the semi-final as they have been playing good cricket over the last two and half years.
“The way we have been playing in the last two years, it is but normal that we will play the semi-final. I hope we make it to the final.”
This is Bangladesh’s maiden semi-final in an ICC event.