'Possible to do well in ODIs'

While fans and critics are still dwelling on the royal thrashing handed out by South Africa to Bangladesh in the two-Test series, the cricketers themselves do not have much of a choice but to move on. Although the Test finished two days early on Sunday, it just gave the Tigers more time to focus on the ODI leg that will start with the one-day practice game against a South Africa Invitational XI tomorrow at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.

"Not really; the day Test ended we ended that in the dressing room," said batsman Imrul Kayes yesterday when asked if the pain of the Test defeat is lingering. "If we think a lot about how we performed now, then the preparation for the upcoming ODI series could be hampered. So, the management and coaches said that day to forget about the Tests now and focus on the upcoming ODI and T20 series."

The returns of stalwarts like ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan also helped in that regard. "Obviously it's a boost. Mashrafi bhai, Shakib will return and Tamim [Iqbal] will play in the ODIs. Missing such important players can affect the overall performance of the team -- We have realised how much a team can struggle without key players. Definitely the balance of the team has improved."

Despite innings of 90 all out, 147 all out and 172 all out over the Test series, Imrul echoed his Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim in saying that Bangladesh's bowlers. However, unlike Mushfiqur, who said that the pitches for the Tests were uncharacteristically benign for South African conditions, Imrul talked of the wickets as if they were very difficult.

"Everyone has been talking about our defeat and that we followed on but honestly, other teams also struggle here. It's totally different conditions. The way South Africa's blowers bowled, particularly skill-wise, our bowlers were not able to bowl like that. If we were able to bowl and use the conditions like them, then it would have been better.

"It was part of the homework, because we also played in New Zealand," said Imrul when asked if such conditions surprised them. "The conditions in New Zealand and here are different. New Zealand has pace, but not that much bounce, but here there is both bounce and pace. These guys [South Africans] planned in a way that they will keep bowling at the same area. It was the first time -- I have played against quite a few teams -- that I saw a team continuously bowling in a specific area to get you out, around here [pointing to his chest and midriff]. I have seen that a lot of teams cannot do it consistently. But they did it in this [second] Test, whether you are talking about [Kagiso] Rabada or [Duanne] Olivier."

Imrul was however hopeful that it will be easier in the one-dayers. "I think that the wickets in the one-days and the Tests will be different; they [South Africa] will also want to score more runs. So for that the wickets will be flatter. So I think it's possible [to do well].

"In Bangladesh we are a strong team. Now we are trying to prove that we can win matches away. We started that in the Champions Trophy [with a win against New Zealand], and I hope it will be a good series. If we can play better cricket, then it is possible to get a result in our favour."