Daily Times

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz did not mince words when pointing the finger at his team’s batters for their disappointing performance in the World Cup, emphasising that they should have taken on more significant responsibilities.

Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign ended on a low note as they became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan, securing just one win against six losses.

Mehidy stated, “The main problem lies in our batting, and the batters should have shouldered more responsibility during the tournament.” Bangladesh’s highest total in the World Cup was a mere 256 against India.

In their recent match, Mahmudullah was the top scorer with 56, with a fourth-wicket partnership of 79 alongside Liton Das, who contributed 45. Skipper Shakib Al Hasan chipped in with 43, and Miraz scored 25.

While Mahmudullah has been Bangladesh’s top run-scorer in the tournament with 274 runs and the only century (111 against South Africa), Pakistan chased down the total with ease on Tuesday, thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s 81 and Abdullah Shafique’s 68 in an opening partnership of 128.

Mehidy commented on the need for early wickets, expressing disappointment that they didn’t materialise, which allowed Pakistan’s openers to play with freedom.

The defeat also carries the potential consequence of Bangladesh missing out on the 2025 Champions Trophy, where only the top seven teams from the World Cup, along with host Pakistan, will qualify.

Mehidy acknowledged the collective sadness within Bangladesh’s dressing room, stressing the role of luck in their campaign. He mentioned that while every defeat is painful, not making it to the Champions Trophy would also hurt the team and its fans.

Bangladesh still has two World Cup group stage matches remaining, against Sri Lanka on November 6 in New Delhi and Australia on November 11 in Pune.