Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah Riyad has on Thursday (October 21) opened up about the Tigers’ humiliating defeat to Scotland in the group stage after they made it to the Super 12s of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 after thrashing PNG by 84 runs in their final group stage match.
Reacting to the criticism the players faced after their narrow defeat of 6 runs against Scotland on October 17, Mahmudullah said it was really disappointing to see people talk about the team’s commitment while claiming the whole Bangladesh team felt bad after they were belittled on social media. However, he hopes things will get better now after booking a place in the Super 12s.
As reported by ESPNCricinfo, Mahmudullah stated: “We all felt bad by each and everything, from all sides. We are human, we also have feelings. We have families. Our parents and children sit in front of the TV. They also get upset. Everyone has social media on their phone these days. We expect criticism when it is warranted but if that resorts to being belittled, we feel bad. There were many questions, including about the three senior players’ strike rate.”
The skipper added, “We tried hard, but we didn’t get the result. Everyone makes sacrifices. We play with injuries. Some of us take painkillers every day. Many don’t know about these things, so it is not right to talk about our commitment. I hope we can be more settled now. Within the team, there is positive energy, and for that, I thank the whole team. I hope things will get better.”
Riyad signed off by saying that they were “trying too hard because of the expectations” and it led them to a 6-runs loss to Scotland in their opening Group B match of the T20 World Cup 2021. However, after the embarrassing defeat, Bangladesh won the remaining two matches and made it to the ‘Super 12s’.
