No dead rubbers as evolution emphasised

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed said that winning the five-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe did not give the team false confidence heading into the T20 World Cup, instead the two remaining fixtures should be utilised to "test new skills" they are developing. 

The shortest format is about expanding one's repertoire in such a way that it can be executed during high-pressure match scenarios. Ahead of major tournaments, such discussions typically come along in Bangladesh cricket, but little is shown in terms of on-field performances, where mentality and game sense are just as important as skill level.

Taskin, who has been bowling with a much greater rhythm and consistent pace since the injury troubles at the ODI World Cup last year and the subsequent Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), believes that whitewashing Zimbabwe in itself was not a precursor to taking false confidence to the USA and West Indies, co-hosts of the ninth edition of the mega event.

The Tigers are also set to take on the USA in a pre-World Cup series to better gauge the conditions.

"It is not fake confidence. Playing well always boosts confidence," Taskin said during a pre-match presser yesterday, ahead of today's fourth and penultimate T20I in Dhaka.

"We are not aware of conditions in the USA; probably playing in drop-in pitches. We have to adapt in a new way. It is good that we are going to play the USA in three T20Is. It will give us some time for early adjustment. We can't change conditions in Bangladesh, but more sporting wickets may have been better," he said, implying that playing on high-scoring pitches ahead of the World Cup might have led to better preparations.

"We want to win the last two games. We have different individual roles, which we try to execute. Results vary, but we also want to use these two matches to test some of our new skills," he remarked on the team's target for the remaining two matches against Zimbabwe in Dhaka.

Irrespective of the outcomes, the Tigers' batting has been a concern in this series so far. However, if the World Cup in India is anything to go by, the bowlers too struggled in flat wickets and went for plenty of runs in the death overs. Taskin, though, has appeared sharp during this phase of play.

"I was quite sore in the World Cup, and I had to go through two and a half months of rehab afterwards. I started with the BPL this year. I struggled with my rhythm in that tournament, but it improved in the Sri Lanka series.

"Rhythm is a factor for fast bowlers. It is improving for me. I am working hard. The team will expect me to bowl at a high pace. I am bowling well, but I hope it gets better soon," Taskin said about his own bowling.

Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar were part of the Tigers' practice session yesterday. While Mustafizur was testing Shakib at the nets, Soumya was still gearing up to play a part in the two dead rubbers, working his way back to a desired level of fitness.

The left-hander did some range-hitting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium main ground and his match preparations would be key to Tigers' combination.

"Soumya bhai trained hard in the last few days. I think he is fit to play, from what I observed, but it will be up to the team management," Taskin said.