The wicket was quite surprising- Mahmudullah
Image : BCB
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah said on Friday that he was surprised provided by the host in the three-match series opener against Pakistan in Lahore on Friday.
Bangladesh was given a slow paced wicket and it stunned them to great extent as they opted to bat thinking that the batsman can play their shots that eventually did not take place in the end.
As a result they were n out-of-sort and jaded batting led Bangladesh’s five-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the first T20 match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday.
After opting to bat first, Bangladesh put up 141-5, a score that looked never enough to resist Pakistan even though the pitch was on bit slower side.
Pakistan faced a hiccup initially before Shoaib Malik came up with all of his experiences to make it Pakistan’s day as the hosts reached the target with three balls to spare.
Malik hit an unbeaten 58 to help Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Opener Naim Sheikh was the highest scorer for Bangladesh with 43 while his senior opener Tamim Iqbal made 39.
The duo however added 71 runs for the opening stand but that came at such slower pace that it created an adverse impact on the middle order.
‘’It was a good contest, but the wicket surprised me a bit. It was harder to play shots once the ball got older and softer,’’ Mahmudullah told reporters after the opening game of the series.
‘’I thought the bowlers did well. Fell 15 runs short today, probably gave way too many boundaries, need to finish stronger - things to do in the next match. Biplob is bowling well and so are the pacers,’’ he said.
‘’We missed a few chances, need to do well in the field. The hospitality has always been good in Pakistan, very happy with that,’’ he added.
