Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said he takes responsibility for the Tigers’ failure along with his team in the ongoing 50-over World Cup but he added that high expectations had an impact on the team’s performance.
Bangladesh came into the tournament as third in the points table of the ICC Super League after England and New Zealand and were hoping for a semi-final spot, Cricbuzz reported.
They secured a straightforward win in the opening game against Afghanistan before suffering six straight defeats and are languishing at the ninth spot of the 10-team showpiece event.
"I take responsibility as well as anyone in the team," Hathurusingha said ahead of their eighth game against Sri Lanka in Delhi on Sunday.
“We’ve disappointed the fans. We’ve disappointed ourselves as well. We didn't play our best cricket. Nothing has changed from the first game till now. The only thing that changed is what happened between our ears," he said.
"Our skill hasn't gone anywhere. We have put ourselves down with high expectations. That's the only thing I can think of. We haven't played the way we played before the World Cup. In that sense, we have to look at our mirrors to know what went wrong.”
“The only thing we can think of is the high expectations. Players want to perform at the biggest stage. Maybe we are trying to do too much. We have to look back and think about what went wrong. It has affected many players. It can be any of those. To be honest, I don't know at the moment," he added.
Hathurusingha shrugged off the notion that frequently shuffling the batting order affected the team.
However, the general consensus back in Bangladesh was that the players didn't have a settled role in the side and that the squad didn't pick an extra batter after Tamim Iqbal was left out.
"I don't think so (on picking an extra batter). One more batter could have made things complicated. When we selected this team before the World Cup, we thought they were the best performers," said Hathurusingha.
"We haven't played to our potential. We are not sure of what we are capable of. For some reason, we have gone into a little bit of a shell, especially batting. We need to fix this. We have to play fearless cricket. It's not about the batting order, isn't it?”
“Where you come to bat, what over, what time of the innings you're coming into bat is more important than the number you bat. We haven't given any start."
Hathurusingha hinted that he didn't have enough time to prepare the side as he took charge just seven months before the tournament.
"I started seven months ago, so I had seven months [to prepare]. Certain things beyond my control happened in between as well. I don't think this is the right time for me to think or discuss.”
“At the moment my focus is to win the next game. We are doing everything right. The mood is good. Players are training. They are all hurting but they want to do well. My biggest challenge is to keep the environment stress-free from every angle so that they can perform to the best of their ability," said Hathurusingha.
"I can't do much in seven months. I prepared the team for the World Cup. My work has to start after the World Cup. Taking the team forward is a separate thing."