Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo admitted there is plenty of room for improvement in his side ahead of their first Super 12 clash against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh came through the first round of the ICC Men’s World T20 2021 as runners-up in Group B after losing to winners Scotland before defeating Oman as well as Papua New Guinea and begin the next stage of the competition on Sunday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Sri Lanka are coming off the back of three comfortable wins against the Netherlands, Ireland and Namibia which saw them top Group A and will provide stern opposition for Domingo’s men, who head to the UAE after previously playing in Oman.
“Firstly, I think there’s always room for improvement in every department,” said Domingo.
“We know with the bat we haven’t quite clicked at 100 percent yet. We know there’s a lot of improvement that can take place there, at the start, in the middle and at the death of the innings.
“Obviously, we need to assess conditions more because we’re playing under totally different conditions to what we played in Oman. So, it’s also going to be a big challenge for us.
“These types of conditions can suit us. Sharjah, I suppose, is a little bit more similar to what wickets in Dhaka are like. Hopefully, that can assist us in [Sunday’s] game.
“Sri Lanka played a few games here, yes. Whether that’s an advantage or not, I’m not sure. I don’t think what’s happened in the first round counts for much when it comes to the main event now.”
Despite safely securing their path into the Super 12 stage, the shock six-run defeat to Scotland sparked criticism of Domingo’s side and he insists he will be instructing his players to block out the noise and focus on getting the job done.
He added: “When you’re playing international cricket, particularly in a country like Bangladesh, where there’s so much passion, when things don’t go well, there’s always going to be criticism when there’s passion.
“And that’s a part of international sport. A big part of coaching and management of a team is to make sure they focus on what they can control. There’s nothing we can do about what people are writing or what people are saying.
“All we can focus is on and what we think about our performances, how we evaluate our performances, the areas we feel we need to improve on. That remains our main focus.
“As soon as we start worrying about those types of things, it takes the focus away from what we really need to focus on.
“We’ve spoken long and hard about where our focus needs to be. Our focus is very much on cricket and how we prepare for the game.”
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka is expecting a cracking game against Bangladesh but is confident his side have what it takes to come out on top despite their opposition being ranked four places higher at sixth in the ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings.
“We are expecting a very good game. Bangladesh, they’ve been good in the qualifiers, as well, but you know, it will be a fair game,” he added.
“T20 is a very short game, and on our day, everyone saw how good we are, as well.
“Bangladesh are sitting very good at the moment because after winning those qualifiers, they are on a winning momentum. It’s good for them, but still, we’ve got a better side, I think. We have a slightly better chance.”
Article courtesy: ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020 via Online Media Zone.