Veteran opener Tamim Iqbal expressed disappointment over Bangladesh’s approach during their last Super 8 match against Afghanistan in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Tamim Iqbal said Bangladesh should have aggressively approached the target despite the risk of being eliminated by a low score.
The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team suffered an 8-run defeat to Afghanistan in a thrilling encounter at the Arnos Vale Ground in Saint Vincent on Monday, June 24 (local time). The Bangladesh team suffered three defeats in the Super 8 phase and was eliminated from the tournament without advancing to the semifinals.
The Bangla Tigers needed to chase the target in 12.1 overs to surpass Australia’s net run rate (NRR) and finish second in Group 1. However, they managed to score only 82 runs for the loss of seven wickets. They were bowled out for 108 runs in 17.5 overs and finished at the bottom of the Group 1 table.
Bangladesh will be very disappointed – Tamim Iqbal
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Tamim Iqbal stated that Bangladesh missed a rare opportunity to do something very special, adding that opportunities do not come very often. Iqbal highlighted the mediocre performance of the Bangladesh team in the Super 8 phase.
“Bangladesh will be very disappointed. I think Bangladesh should have gone for the chase, even if it meant getting bowled out for 70 or 80. They lost the match anyway, but they had a chance to do something very special and these kind of opportunities They don’t come around very often, especially after not winning anything in the Super 8,” Tamim Iqbal said on ESPNCricinfo.
Bangladesh had the opportunity to chase the target quickly and improve their net run rate. However, apart from Litton Das, other key batsmen like Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan and captain Najmul Shanto failed to make significant contributions and none of them reached double figures.
Even we don’t win the game – Tamim Iqbal
The 35-year-old claimed that Bangladesh showed intent in some stretches but faltered with falling wickets and lacked intent in crucial overs. Iqbal missed the opportunity to try to chase him and added that they neither won the game nor tried to chase him.
“At some points, it looked like Bangladesh were going to chase it, but then the wickets fell and there was less intention in the batting in some of the overs. At least if they had tried to chase it and lost by 30-40 runs, people would have understood that There was a chance and we tried and failed, but that’s okay, we neither won the game nor tried to take advantage of it,” Tamim added.
Afghanistan secured their place in the semi-finals after defeating Bangladesh, joining India, South Africa and England in the knockout phase of the T20 World Cup 2024. The two semi-final matches will be played on June 27 (India time), and The final is scheduled for Saturday at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
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