Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy asserted that his team wasn’t concerned about the run rate, noting that they could have finished the run chase against Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opening game much earlier, but chose a safer approach to ensure the desired result.
Chasing 144 on a two-paced wicket, Bangladesh stumbled early, losing two wickets in the Powerplay. Hridoy and captain Litton Das then forged a 95-run partnership to help the team win by seven wickets. Both batters focused on taking the game deep rather than taking unnecessary risks. Although Hridoy scored 35 off 36 deliveries at a strike rate below 100, he ensured he remained unbeaten until the end, while Litton did the bulk of the scoring with his 59-run knock.
Reflecting on the team’s approach with the bat, Hridoy said: “We could have finished the game earlier, but we stuck to the demands of the situation. Our mentality is to always win. We wanted to ensure that the match didn’t slip away from us. We tried to end the game early, but I couldn’t connect the ball that well. I think the result is more important than finishing one or two overs earlier.”
After starting their campaign with a win, Bangladesh are aiming to win their remaining two group B games against Afghanistan and multiple-time Asia Cup winners Sri Lanka.
“We want to beat Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, so run rate isn’t what we are worried about at this stage. We don’t want to complicate matters so early in the tournament,” he said.
Bangladesh are currently in second place on the points table. Their net run rate of 1.001 is lower than that of Afghanistan, who sit at the top.
The Litton-led team will remain in Abu Dhabi for their second group clash against Sri Lanka, which will be played on Saturday, 13 September.
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