DHAKA, July 2, 2024 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon termed the national team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto's explanation on Afghanistan match as unacceptable, saying that the team should fight desperately to make it semifinal of the T20 World Cup.

Despite a heavy defeat to India and Australia, Bangladesh got a golden chance to make it last four when they came to know that they need to defeat Afghanistan at big margin. The bowlers bowled superbly to hold Afghanistan off to 115-5 and Bangladesh then got a target to chase it down in 12.1 overs.
 
Even though the pitch was tough to bat on, Papon said, the team should go for hunt it down in 12 overs.

"I couldn't answer about it. But it is not acceptable that that our captain said that they didn't try to win after losing three wickets. As long as I watched the game it didn't seem like that. They tried as long as Towhid Hridoy was in the crease," Papon said here today after the 'Board of Directors'' meeting at BCB's headquarter at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

Afghanistan set Bangladesh a target of 116 runs at St. Vincent. If Bangladesh had won by any margin, Afghanistan would have been eliminated and Australia would have gone to the semi-finals. And if they won the game in 12.1 overs, Afghanistan-Australia would have been eliminated and Bangladesh would have played the semifinals.

When Towhid Hridoy was dismissed, Bangladesh were in 64 in 8.2 overs. The Tigers eventually were all out for 105 in 17.5 overs.

Shanto later explained the plan, 'The plan was like this - we'll go hard in the first six overs. If we get off to a good start and if wickets don't fall quickly, we will take that chance. But when three wickets fell, our plan was different. Thereafter we tried to win the match. But still we lost because our middle order was not good enough."

Unwilling to accept his explanation, the BCB president said, "I have been saying from the beginning that we do not agree with his (Shanto) words. It cannot be accepted in any way. We should have fought till 12 overs (against Afghanistan). What I saw they played defensively when it was need to play with attacking mindset. And when they needed to play defensively, they went for attack."

BCB president further said that it is not impossible in T20 cricket to chase down 116 runs in 12.1 overs whatever the condition of the pitch is.
"Yes it is difficult to go after the bowlers in this kind of pitch but again 116 runs in 12 overs is not a problem in T20 cricket. However I accepted that they tried. Australia also lost to Afghanistan on that wicket. That condition was not easy. But they (Bangladesh batters) tried."

Although the World Cup performance was discussed in the board meeting, there is no official report from the team yet. The BCB management is waiting for the formal report of coach and manager.