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We want to do better in the powerplay: Prince

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Last updated on 21 Oct 2021 | 02:08 AM
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We want to do better in the powerplay: Prince

Bangladesh have kept themselves alive in the tournament but are yet to deliver that all-round performance

Bangladesh's batting coach Ashwell Prince has backed out-of-form batter Liton Das to come good in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The right-handed opener has only managed 86 runs in his last 10 T20 innings. He could only score 5 and 6 against Scotland and Oman respectively. Meanwhile, his partner Mohammad Naim crafted a vital fifty in Bangladesh’s important win over Scotland on Tuesday. Prince feels Liton might be feeling the pressure of 'most talented batsman of his generation' tag.

"I think at the moment he (Liton) wants to get a start. He batted really nicely in the warm-up match two weeks ago against Oman A. He hasn't had a big score since then. I think when you are labelled as the best batsman in your generation, sometimes it can be a burden on your shoulders," said Prince.

"He is a fantastically talented player. I think everyone is waiting for him to burst out and be the player that we know he can be. All the coaches are trying to assist him as much as possible. We believe in him. We trust him. Hopefully, there will be a bigger stage in a week's time to express himself. If you want to be a big player who goes up against all the other big players in the world, you have to adapt to any situation."

Mushfiqur Rahim batted at No. 8 against Oman and the former South African batter said most of the Bangladesh batters are flexible and are willing to bat anywhere in the order for the betterment of the team.

“Every player should be prepared to be in a flexible batting line-up. We have had these discussions in team meetings. These days there are so many stats, but the players have to make their own decisions in the middle. The coach is entitled to have a flexible line-up. The players are open about it.

Bangladesh have kept themselves alive in the tournament but are yet to deliver that all-round performance . The top-order hasn’t fired yet, and as a result, Bangladesh are yet to cross the 30-run mark in the powerplay in this tournament.

“We want to do better in the powerplay. At the end of the day, as much as you want to impose your game plan, you have to respect the opposition. I think particularly against Oman, their opening bowlers were very good. They both had shape on the ball. Good discipline. They were aggressive in the field. It doesn't matter whether it is a superstar delivering the ball or a lesser-known name, when someone delivers a ball with shape on it, you have to respect it. Oman and Scotland were both outstanding.”

Despite the win, Bangladesh (+0.500) are still behind Oman (+0.613) on the points table and will have to win their last game against PNG with a decent margin if they want to make it through to the Super 12 stage. And, if this happens and Oman beat Scotland, Bangladesh and Oman will both qualify for the Super 12 stage.

“We have studied the equation. The margin between Scotland, Oman and Bangladesh isn't great. Yesterday's result helped us a bit. We have the equation within our team. The players know what to do. Unfortunately, we play the first game tomorrow, so we will have to apply pressure on Scotland and Oman.”

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