Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons wants his side to learn from their mistakes against Zimbabwe and move on quickly as they prepare to face Afghanistan in the tri-nation ODI series in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Bangladesh suffered a 99-run defeat despite having opportunities to take control of the contest. Simmons felt a lack of awareness in crucial moments cost his side with both bat and ball.
“We just lacked thought in the right situations. We lacked understanding of the situation and making sure that when we got the three wickets, we hammered down and tried and get another one quickly, although they batted really well,” Simmons said on Monday.
Bangladesh made a brisk start to the chase but kept losing wickets at regular intervals, eventually being dismissed with 16.3 overs remaining. Simmons believes they failed to recognise the importance of batting through the innings after getting off to a promising start.
“When we batted, we just lacked the understanding of the situation and knowing that with a start like that, we just had to make sure we bat for the 50 overs and we’d have won the game,” he said.
Despite the setback, Simmons said the dressing-room atmosphere remained positive after a team meeting on Monday to review the defeat. He wants the players to prepare mentally and focus on the next challenge.
“The energy is still good. We had a nice meeting this [Monday] morning and put things on the table, what we did and we didn’t do well, and we know what we have to do now,” he said.
Bangladesh have also received a potential boost with Mehidy Hasan Miraz returning to training after missing the Zimbabwe match with fever. Simmons said the all-rounder was not fully recovered but hoped he would be fit for Wednesday’s game.
“It’s great to see him. He’s been in bed for the last couple days struggling. He’s still not fully there, but hopefully with today and tomorrow he can get some more rest and be ready for the next game,” Simmons said.
The tri-nation series final is scheduled for October 23 in Sharjah.
