Share

Mortaza: Fielding cost us

Melbourn - Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza makes no excuse for his side's forgettable day in the field that resulted in a 92-run loss to Sri Lanka.

He can only hope the team's worst game of the World Cup is now behind it.

Ineffectual bowling and a string of fielding errors allowed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara to dominate Bangladesh with unbeaten centuries in an imposing total of 332-1 on Thursday in their Pool A match.

Dilshan made the most of an early fielding error to reach 161, while Sangakkara hit a quick-fire 105 off 76 balls. Lahiru Thirimanne (52) was the lone wicket to fall, but not before raising an attractive half century.

"Fielding cost us, but our bowlers were not up to the mark and next match we will try to come up with good things," Mortaza said. "Without a win you can't think anything and I hope this is our worst game in the tournament."

Rubel Hossain (1-62) was the only wicket-taker for Bangladesh, which dropped three important catches in its first ever game at the MCG.

"Definitely dropped catches is costing us, but at the same time as a bowling group we have not been up to the mark today," Mortaza said.

Bangladesh missed opportunities right from the start, when Anamul Haque dropped Thirimanne off just the fourth ball of the day.

Sangakkara was also lucky to survive a dropped catch on 23 when Ahmed dived but just failed to hold onto a caught-and-bowled chance. Sangakkara had another reprieve while on 60 when he was dropped by Mominul Haque at point. To make matters worse, there was no body backing up for Haque's throw to the bowler's end and it went through for overthrows.

In reply, Bangladesh never looked like chasing the Sri Lankan total and was dismissed for 240 with three overs to spare.

"Going to chase 330 is not very easy, especially when the bowling and fielding has not been up to the mark," Mortaza said. "But once again we still have a good chance (at the World Cup)."

Bangladesh beat newcomer Afghanistan to start the tournament and took a point from its rained out game against Australia last week.

"We have three matches left (in the pool stage)," Mortaza said, "and hopefully we'll do something in the next match."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2239 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE