It Just Happened All of a Sudden' – Mehidy Hasan Blames Pitch for Bangladesh's Batting Meltdown Against Afghanistan
Sharjah, UAE: Bangladesh's hopes of continuing their strong record against Afghanistan in the ODI format took a heavy blow after a dramatic batting collapse at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday. After restricting Afghanistan to what appeared to be an achievable target of 235, Bangladesh were well on course to chase it down, only to face a 92-run defeat after a sudden batting breakdown midway through their innings.
Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz attributed the shocking defeat to the unpredictable nature of the pitch after the 20th over. However, he acknowledged his responsibility and that of fellow batter Najmul Hossain Shanto for not seeing the game through.
“When Shanto and I were batting, the wicket seemed easy to bat on, but after the 20th over, when the ball became soft, it started to turn a lot all of a sudden,” Mehidy explained. “You could see that the two of us were struggling in the middle despite being set. But yes, one of us should have finished it considering that we were set. I kept telling Shanto that since we were struggling on this wicket, the batters after us would find it even more difficult.”
A Sudden Shift in Pitch Behavior
Bangladesh had appeared in control of the chase, yet they lost eight wickets within just a few overs, drastically altering the course of the game. Mehidy pointed out that the pitch behaved unpredictably, with unexpected turns and variations that caught the batters off guard.
“All of a sudden, there was so much slow turn off the wicket, and [the ball] kept coming on straight. You could not predict which ball would turn and which would come on straight. It just happened all of a sudden,” Mehidy added. “At that time, I made a mistake, and Shanto did too. We have discussed it. The set batters should have finished things on a wicket like this.”
Ghazanfar's Stellar Performance Floors Bangladesh
While Mehidy ended as the second-most economical bowler of the game, Afghanistan's AM Ghazanfar emerged as the standout performer, taking six wickets to seal Bangladesh's fate in what was only his sixth ODI appearance. Ghazanfar’s brilliant bowling dismantled Bangladesh’s middle and lower order, ultimately leading to the stunning defeat.
Moving Forward
This unexpected loss leaves Bangladesh with two games to bounce back in the three-match ODI series. The team will need to adapt better to the challenging conditions and capitalize on any early momentum if they hope to level the series in the upcoming matches.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Bangladesh-Afghanistan ODI series as Bangladesh prepares to fight back in the next game.
Reference from :- https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/it-just-happened-all-of-a-sudden-mehidy-hasan-miraz-puts-blame-on-pitch-after-batting-meltdown-against-afghanistan-7475/