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England will give you opportunity to take wickets, the message is not to panic: Gibson

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Last updated on 27 Oct 2021 | 02:15 AM
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England will give you opportunity to take wickets, the message is not to panic: Gibson

The Bangladesh bowling coach has also backed Liton Das and Mustafizur Rahman to come good in the coming games

Bangladesh's bowling coach Ottis Gibson has urged his bowlers to not panic against England's formidable batting line-up and focus on pouncing on every opportunity which comes their way. Having suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will now take on England on Wednesday (October 27) in Abu Dhabi.

"We have to be on our A game if we want to challenge them and ultimately win the game. We know that England are a very powerful batting line-up. The key is to be accurate with what we deliver, and back ourselves. We know they will come out hard, but they also give you chances," said Gibson.

"The message is not to panic. Understand that you will get hit off a good ball. That's their mentality. But they also give you opportunity to take wickets. We must be calm to execute our skills and plans, and considered about every ball we bowl."

Bangladesh have dropped six catches in the tournament so far and were also horrible against Sri Lanka on October 24. They managed to score 171 on a difficult Sharjah surface but Liton Das dropped Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Charith Asalanka in the second innings and Sri Lanka ended up winning the game with more than an over to spare.

"One or two catches get dropped in every cricket match. Obviously when the catches play a part in the result, it is highlighted more but we do a lot of catching practice. When the guys are out in the middle under pressure, mistakes like catches going down happen. I won't say it is a concern."

Liton has been in horrible form with the bat and was also fined for an on-field argument with Sri Lankan paceman Lahiru Kumara during the game. In the ongoing competition, Liton has only managed 56 runs in four encounters at a strike rate of 105.66.

"He is one of our best fielders. The fact that a couple of catches went down doesn't diminish what he contributes to the team. Of course, anybody can drop a catch. It is highlighted because those catches, you can argue, contributed to the result.

"He has been one of our key players for a while. The reality is that any other fielder in that position could have dropped those catches as well. We remind him of his quality, and that he is a key player for us. We support the player, whether it is Liton Das or any other player."

Mustafizur Rahman too hasn't been at his best in this tournament. The left-arm seamer claimed four wickets against Oman but hasn't picked up a wicket in the last two encounters. "Fizz is a key bowler for us in any conditions. His cutters are more effective in Bangladesh but one thing I like about him is his ability to adjust to conditions very quickly.

"He is key especially in the backend of the innings, but he can also swing the ball back in now. We have worked very hard on it. He is a weapon for us with both the new and old ball."

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