Mirpur, April 20 (IANS) Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Monday said his team believed they were favourites to win the One-Day-International (ODI) series against Pakistan.
Bangladesh beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second ODI on Sunday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
Earlier, in the first ODI Pakistan were beaten comfortably by 79 runs. Bangladesh’s opener Tamil Iqbal scored back-to-back centuries to steer his team to the series win.
Pakistan became the fourth full-member nation after Zimbabwe, the West Indies and New Zealand to lose an ODI series to Bangladesh.
“Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad said before the ODI series that we start as favourites. It was a feeling within the team too. We all believed that we were favourites,” Mortaza was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“I felt it was important for our preparation. Pakistan is inexperienced, teams go through such phases. It is quite natural. They take a bit of time. But they have a world-class bowling attack. I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference between the two sides,” he said.
Pakistan looked short of experience with the ODI retirements of veterans Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi.
The 31-year-old skipper praised his side saying “the team should be proud of themselves for what they have achieved.”
“When we had returned home from the World Cup, there were moments when I felt whether we were being given too much importance,” Mortaza said.
“Continuing on our World Cup performance was on my mind, so the subsequent series was always going to be important. I think the boys should be proud of what they have achieved, but they don’t need to make it too apparent,” the all-rounder said.
–Indo-Asia News Service
ac/sam/dg