'We need to improve a lot as a batting unit'

Despite setting sights on winning the title, Bangladesh found themselves knocked out of the Champions Trophy after just two matches. It took merely six days for their exit from the tournament. The remaining match against Pakistan is now a mere formality, and as a result, it hasn't garnered much attention.

However, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto considers the match important. Before that, he expressed his disappointment with the team's batting performance. According to Shanto, Bangladesh needs significant improvement as a batting unit.

In their opening match of the Champions Trophy against India, Bangladesh showcased extreme batting failure. Despite a century by Towhid Hridoy and a half-century by Zakir Ali Anik, Bangladesh were bowled out for 228 runs, ultimately losing the match by six wickets. The batting woes continued on Monday against New Zealand, as Bangladesh managed to score only 236 runs for nine wickets. New Zealand chased down the target with five wickets in hand and 23 balls to spare. With these two defeats, Bangladesh bid farewell to the tournament, and Pakistan were also eliminated. The two teams will face off in a dead rubber on 27th February.

Yet, Bangladesh had not started poorly against the Kiwis. The opening pair of Tanzid Hasan Tamim and the top scorer of the innings, Shanto, added 45 runs. Even at 97 runs, everything seemed fine. However, Bangladesh lost their way in the middle overs and never managed to get back on track. Shanto highlighted the middle-order batting collapse as a major reason for the loss. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, the Bangladesh captain said, "We had a very good start. We batted well in the first 8-9 overs."

"But in the middle overs, we lost a lot of wickets. On a pitch like this, we couldn't bat properly. This is the one thing we didn't do well today. Yes, absolutely (the middle order's failure is a big reason). The pitch was quite good for batting. We only needed two big partnerships. But the way we batted, it was disappointing. Especially after the first ten overs, we should have progressed further," he added.

Nahid Rana, who wasn't part of the playing XI against India, featured in the match against New Zealand. The right-arm pacer took one wicket for 43 runs in his nine overs. Shanto expressed his satisfaction with the young speedster's bowling but once again brought up the batting struggles, saying, "He (Nahid Rana) was brilliant. I am pleased with his bowling. Over the last few years, our bowling unit has done quite well. But as I said, we need to improve a lot as a batting unit."

A win against Pakistan would only serve as a consolation. It will not affect Bangladesh's position in the tournament. Despite this, Shanto believes the match is important. Emphasising the potential confidence boost from the game, he said, "Of course, I think it (the Pakistan match) is an important match. If we can finish well, it will give us a lot of confidence. But we need significant improvement in both the batting and fielding departments. Hopefully, our batting and fielding will be better in the next match."