Dhaka, Feb 20 (IANS) Sections of Bangladesh media Sunday questioned skipper Sakib al Hasan’s decision to send India to bat first in the World Cup opener. It also gave full credit to the ‘might of India’, saying the home team had gone down fighting to the world’s top team.
‘If we had batted first given our batting strength we could have amassed 260 at least and India would have been put to a difficult test coming second. Thus the decision to field first is questionable,’ The Daily Star said in an editorial Sunday.
‘…we would keep speculating whether on winning the toss we should have gone for fielding first. The options must have been discussed for the umpteenth time but when came the chips down we went against our own cricket history. Empirically, many a captain faced disastrous consequences for opting to field first,’ it said.
Reflecting the mood after the defeat, the newspaper reported: ‘The euphoria about the World Cup opener is gone, and all that Bangladesh are left with is the disappointment of an 87-run loss against the might of India.’
However, the daily newspaper, like all other media, said it neither wished to deny India the credit for its performance, nor the host team that ‘went down fighting’.
‘What was expected has happened, although we had built our hopes on our victory in the last World Cup against India. But just as Bangladesh has become an improved side so has Indian team emerged at the top of the world pecking order,’ its editorial said.
Sakib justified his decision after the match saying: ‘I do not think I have made a mistake by choosing the field.’
‘I thought we had better chances of winning if we could take two early wickets. The course of the game then could have been totally different. But our fast bowlers could not execute their plans and it was the main problem. I think that cost us the game,’ New Age quoted him as saying.
Sakib explained that ‘in the second part, dew was a factor as they had three fast bowlers. We thought we could have a go at them as they are not good in doing reverse swing’.
