Stand-in captain Jaker Ali Anik admitted on Wednesday that Bangladesh’s Asia Cup campaign unravelled in the absence of regular skipper Litton Das, but insisted the players were to blame rather than batting coach Julian Wood.
Bangladesh were eliminated in the group stage after a run of poor batting displays, with collapses at crucial moments ending their progress. Jaker, who took over the captaincy following Litton’s injury, said the loss of the opener’s form and leadership had proved costly.
“Litton’s news is a bit harsh for us. He is the skipper and he is doing really well with the bat. So that cost us in the Asia Cup tournament. But we move forward and keep looking forward to do well,” Jaker told reporters in Sharjah.
He conceded that Bangladesh had arrived at the tournament confident of competing but failed to execute their plans.
“Obviously, it is a bit disappointing. We hoped to come here to play good cricket in the Asia Cup. But we did not do that. We had a mindset, we prepared well, but unfortunately, we could not deliver,” he said.
Jaker was quick to defend Wood, the English power-hitting coach brought in to modernise Bangladesh’s batting approach. Critics have questioned whether his methods have had any effect, but Jaker maintained that accountability belonged to the players.
“Julian Wood cannot be blamed here. We just could not deliver. It is our fault. We are responsible for everything that we could not deliver in the field. But we prepared well,” he said.
“If we fail on the ground, we cannot blame the coaches or the work we tried to do. It is we who have to accept those mistakes, such as dropped catches and poor batting. We have to take responsibility for these things.”
The wicketkeeper-batsman also acknowledged that Litton’s absence had created a leadership void on top of the loss of runs.
“I am new as a captain, so I am trying to adjust those things and keep delivering in the centre,” he said. “I am just normal. As I have been given the responsibility, I will try to perform the duties and play according to the team plan.”
Looking ahead to the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, Jaker said the priority was to repair the batting unit.
“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 our attention to the batting side,” he said.
He also singled out in-form opener Saif Hasan, who impressed in the Asia Cup, as a key figure for the upcoming series.
“Saif Hasan is doing really well, and we want him to score big in this series as well. Along with him, other batters should also do well. Then this series will be very good for us,” Jaker said.
