Mosaddek dubs Tigers favourite against Sri Lanka

382

DHAKA, July 18, 2019 (BSS) – Youngster Mosaddek Hossain Saikat believes Bangladesh are ahead of Sri Lanka in every aspect and thereby they will begin the upcoming tour against them later this month as absolute favourite.

Mosaddek made this comment despite the fact that Bangladesh finished at lower position (8th) than Sri Lanka (6th) in the recently concluded World Cup and is yet to win any series in the Island nation.

But last two times they toured the country for a bilateral ODI series in 2013 and 2017, they forced Lankans to share the series (1-1) both times in three-match series.

And they fared better than the Lankans in the recent time as well as beat them quite regularly in T20 and ODI cricket in recent years.

Mosaddek agreed that stats didn’t show they are favourite against the Sri Lanka but added that they should win the series, based on the experience they have under their belts.

“We are much ahead of them in both batting and bowling department and if you talk about experience, then also we are in better position,” Mosaddek said here on Thursday.

“We are probably the most experienced side in the world cricket at the moment if you compare our experiences with other teams of the World. So I think we will be much ahead of them in the series and it’s our time.”

However while Shakib Al Hasan is absent in the series as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) granted his plea to take time off from the cricket and perform Hajj, Tigers’ experience will be lessened to some extent and moreover his absence always creates a big loopholes in the team as far as his presence, impact and performance with both batting and fielding is concerned.

Along with him, inform Liton Das also opted out the series due to his marriage programme.

Bangladesh interim coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon had already said Shakib’s absence will be sorely missed and Mosaddek also believes this.

But at the same he is still oozing with confidence that the players who comes in the squad would be keen to show their credential.

“Anamul Haque Bijoy and Taijul Islam came in the squad in their places and look at their performance! They have been doing well in domestic circuit. Bijoy has a century in India and Taijul also has been taking wickets regularly in that meet. International cricket might be different and they would know in which position they are standing now but as a team we are really balanced,” he said.

Mosaddek termed their World Cup as disappointing after winning just three matches and finished at as low as eighth in 10-team tournament.

But he is not the guy who would keep showing the disappointment, instead he insisted that they should forget what happened and focus on for the upcoming series.

“We have an average World Cup, it’s true,” he said.

“During the World Cup, we were totally focused on it. Since World Cup is over now, we shouldn’t be thinking about that at the moment. We can’t bring back the World Cup again and correct our mistakes. So I think what is coming ahead, we should focus on that.”