Mash looks to start afresh against NZ
He hopes pace attack will be stronger after the return of Mustafiz
Sports Reporter, Chittagong
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza insisted that his sides main challenge would be the upcoming series against New Zealand as they have the things to prove their improvement.
Bangladesh indeed will play all series and tournament in foreign soil in the coming one year and the New Zealand tour will kick-start their gruelling season. After the series against New Zealand, they have the one-off Test series in India and a full tour in Sri Lanka after which they have a tri-nation series in Ireland which would serve a prelude to the ICC Champions Trophy in England.
There are so many matches on the cards but as personal ground Mashrafe is not willing to look far ahead as he just wants to concentrate on New Zealand series rather than thinking the future at the moment.
One thing is sure that I prepare for every game. I dont think about the future, the series after this, I am thinking about the New Zealand series.
Before the sterner test at abroad, Bangladeshs winning streak came to an end after being defeated in the three-match series against England. Mashrafe wasnt concerned actually about the loss but he emphasized on to start well in New Zealand.
My main challenge will start from now, at home we are almost 90 percent successful, but the different challenge is away from home. You have a lot to prove.
New Zealand series would be Mashrafes first bilateral series as captain away from home. He earlier led Bangladesh 2015 World Cup in Australia-New Zealand and World T20 in India.
Beforehand, Bangladesh will play two-match Test series against England, starting from October 20 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
We still have two Tests, maximum one day players will be there if they can play well they will be more confident, it depends upon the series. I think we will start a fresh from the New Zealand series and it will be great if we can start well. Its painful to stay in the losing side but this is the rule. Thats how life goes on.
Mashrafe thinks their pace attack will be stronger after the return of Mustafizur Rahman and it would serve good in the series against New Zealand.
Pacers are doing well now, if you see in the last one and a half years, everyone has improved a lot. These are results of improvements the graft is improving. I am sure when Mustafizur returns the pace bowling group will be stronger. We have to continue, hopefully they will do well in the Test match as well.
After they leveled the series against England with a 34-run victory in the second match, the home side was expected to seal it in Chittagong given their track record at this very ground. But at the end, the loss in the toss became vital as Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza claimed the huge amount of dew at night made the difference.
Toss became crucial in fact but we lost it. Had I won the toss, you may see me here doing press conference after their captain, Mashrafe said.
On todays wicket, the bowlers werent getting any turn towards the end because of the dew and so, we had to use our pacers. The amount of dew that was there on the ground, had it been even half that, even then we could have been more difficult for them. But today it was very difficult for our spinners to bowl here. It had become very easy for them [England] because of the dew, he added.
