'Have to overcome fear of failure'

An opportunity to win a maiden trophy in a multi-team tournament or a tri-series in the 50-over format was dashed and a good chance to win a Test series at home was shattered. Now Tigers' stand-in skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said they had the opportunity to make a big statement in the T20I format when the first match of the two-match series against Sri Lanka takes place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

"There exists a question mark on our ability in T20 cricket. We have to give a statement to the rest of the world. It's a very important series for us and we want to make a statement," said Mahmudullah, exuding confidence during a pre-match press conference in Mirpur yesterday.

As the squad for the first T20I is marked with the inclusion of a significant number of new faces, the Bangladesh skipper believed that it is also an opportunity for young players to make a statement of their own.

"They [young players] have a good opportunity to make a statement that they are here to grab their place and I hope if they can play their best cricket they will be able to establish their place in the side," said Mahmudullah, who was firm in his belief that the youngsters deserved the national call-up following good performances in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

At different times Bangladesh cricket embraced new mottos like 'positive cricket,' 'aggressive cricket', 'fearless cricket', 'intent in approach', etc. and Mahmudullah yesterday added two new ones to the book when he asked for 'fearless cricket without fear of failure' and 'on-the-spot intelligence' from his players during the two-match series.

"In T20 cricket you have to understand the tactical issues. You need to examine the intention of any batsman or bowler and you have to explore everything on the spot. We have some experienced players in the team besides some new faces and we will try to play our best cricket," said Mahmudullah.

"You should play fearless cricket in the T20 format. If you think about failure, the success rate will be diminished in this format and if you can overcome it you will get a good result. I am trying to give every member of the team this message: 'don't fear failure'," he added.

Mahmudullah was quite successful as a captain when he led Khulna Titans in the BPL and that experience has led him to believe that it is important to motivate players and give them freedom to bring the best out of them.

"I always believe that players will not perform well if you don't give them the freedom and motivate them and I will try to do the same on and off the field so that we can ensure that we play our best cricket," said Mahmudullah.

The Bangladesh captain was also hopeful that his side will be able to make a turnaround in the T20 series after their poor showings in the tri-series and Test series.

"I must put our team ahead of any opponent in our home conditions. Although we failed to perform to our expectations in the Test and ODI series, we are hopeful. I hope we can make a turnaround by playing good cricket," he added.