Pollard laments 'bad day'

After the practice match against the BCB XI on Wednesday when they scored 361 in 50 overs, West Indies would probably not have thought that they would not be able to pass 200 in their next outing at the same ground. But that was the outcome during their seven-wicket loss to Bangladesh at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna yesterday.
Kieron Pollard, the West Indies vice-captain, appeared a little dazed by the result when he fronted up to the media after the match. While giving credit to Bangladesh, the big-hitting batsman insisted that it was West Indies who let the match slip through their poor batting.
“It was mostly a bad day,” he said when asked whether the defeat was a case of being outplayed or just having a bad day. “We didn't get much runs on the board. Bangladesh batted and showed how to bat on that wicket. They played better than us today, we gifted our wickets away.”
West Indies never really built any momentum, losing wickets in clusters with their specialist batsmen seeming more eager to match their practice match score than adjust to early losses and reach a competitive total.
“I think it is a matter of patience, matter of playing each ball on its merit. We didn't do that today. We played injudicious shots, at times we needed to buckle down. We played rash shots, and at times when we did build up partnerships, we gave it away,” Pollard added.
Bangladesh chased the total without any hiccups, appearing to be the dominant side, a role West Indies were supposed to play. The second match of the five-match ODI series is tomorrow, and Pollard outlined the areas that West Indies have to improve upon before they take the field, “We have to be more patient, bat deeper and bowlers should not be giving one bad ball each over. We have to do the basics right, be sharp on the field. It is a matter of everything. We have one day to do it and then we come back and see if we have learned anything from this. There are four more games to go, so it is a matter of us regrouping as international cricketers. We have done it before and no doubt we can do it again.”