Bangladesh have sights set on bigger goal

Cape Town - After recording a famous win over South Africa at the Cricket World Cup 2019, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza urged his team to not get carried away by the early triumph and stay grounded for the rest of what is bound to be a long tournament.

Bangladesh opened their campaign with a 21-run victory over a higher-ranked South Africa. It was a good show all around, starting with the batsmen pulling their weight together to lift the side to a strong total, before the bowlers held their nerve to scupper a strong South African response and deliver a well-deserved win according to the Cricket World Cup website. 

"It's very important for our players to stay calm," Mashrafe said. "We have just won one match, there are eight more to go. This win doesn't take us anywhere in this tournament now. So, I don't think we have to be very excited right now. There is still a long way to go."

Mashrafe, who is Bangladesh's most successful captain in World Cups, with four wins from six matches, expected tougher challenges as the tournament wears on. "I will say that we don't have to look that far (semis) yet," he said. "We have to plan for our next match against New Zealand and make sure that we execute those plans. I think more challenges will come. Maybe more challenges are waiting for the batsmen in the next matches." 

Mashrafe praised his team's positivity and fearlessness against South Africa. "The thing that we discussed is that we have nothing to lose," he said.

From upsetting big teams to being a threat to the best of opponents, Bangladesh have taken giant strides in ICC tournaments. Mashrafe, however, dismissed concerns about how other teams perceived his team, and chose instead to focus on ensuring they stayed fit and ready to deliver consistently.

"We are looking at every team as a big team and we will try to give our best," he said. "We have make sure that players don't get injured. If everyone stays fit, that would be good for us. May be this [the performance against SA] won't happen in every match, that's for sure. But if everyone gives their best, we have the ability to do lot better."