Bangladesh T20I skipper Jaker Ali has said the team’s main focus in the upcoming series against Afghanistan will be on winning matches rather than following the trends of modern cricket.
Jaker, who is leading the side in place of the injured Litton Das, spoke to the media at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium ahead of the first game of the three-match T20I series.
Litton sustained an injury during a net session before Bangladesh’s clash with India in the Super Fours of the recently concluded Asia Cup in Dubai. The injury ruled him out of crucial matches against India and Pakistan and has left him unavailable for the Afghanistan series, giving Jaker the captaincy.
“Litton’s news is a bit harsh for us. He is the skipper and he is doing really well with the bat. That cost us in the Asia Cup tournament. But we move forward and keep looking to do well,” Jaker said.
He emphasised that winning matches will remain the ultimate priority.
“Winning matches is more important than playing modern cricket. Whether you play modern cricket or traditional cricket, it is important to win matches. Our focus is on winning matches,” he added.
Jaker said his approach as captain will be based on the team’s strengths.
“We are just looking to go according to our strength and our game plan. I am new as a captain, so I am trying to adjust and keep delivering in the centre,” he explained.
Sharjah brings mixed memories for Bangladesh, who suffered a 2-1 series defeat against the United Arab Emirates there in May. Jaker admitted that batting remains the team’s biggest concern, pointing to their struggles in the Asia Cup where they posted only 127 and 124 for 9 against India and Pakistan respectively and failed to reach the final.
“We have to play well on the particular day. We could not play well as a team in that UAE series. Our main plan will be to perform as a batting unit as we had to suffer due to our batting. That is why we have to pay attention to the batting side,” Jaker said.
He also stressed the importance of players taking responsibility for mistakes rather than blaming coaches or staff, referring to former power-hitting coach Julian Wood.
“We are trying to do our work. If we fail on the ground, we cannot blame the coaches or the work we tried to do. We have to accept those mistakes ourselves, such as dropped catches and poor batting. We have to take responsibility, so we will try not to make these mistakes in the future,” he added.
Jaker further acknowledged the challenge posed by Afghanistan’s bowling attack.
“Afghanistan have a good side. They have quality spinners. It is going to be a good series and we are ready for it,” he concluded.
