Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty lamented dropped catches and the dew factor in their heartbreaking three-wicket loss to South Africa in the ICC Women鈥檚 World Cup match at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted 232-6 in 50 overs, with Shorna Akter making a blazing 51 off 35 balls. In reply, despite reeling at 78-5 at one stage, South Africa reached 235-7 with three balls to spare.
Nadine de Klerk, South Africa鈥檚 hero from their previous match against India, stood tall again.
The Joty-led team dropped at least four catches鈥攐ne of those was of de Klerk in the penultimate over鈥攁s well as missed a minimum of three run-out chances.听
鈥楽ee, it happens sometimes during the game. It was very difficult 鈥� the pressure was on, and it was hard for the bowlers to grip the ball. For the fielders too, it wasn鈥檛 easy,鈥� Joty told reporters after the match.听
鈥業 don鈥檛 want to make excuses, but in such conditions, you really have to keep your nerves calm. Unfortunately, we missed those chances. Maybe if we had held on to those catches, the result could have been different,鈥� she admitted.听
However, Joty said that she was proud of the team鈥檚 effort.听
She said, 鈥業 am not disappointed; I would say I am proud. The way our girls fought for every ball, I would say, it was not easy to keep such a close game in our control at this stage, but they have tried their 110 per cent. I am very happy as a captain.鈥�
Bangladesh chose to bat first despite knowing that dew might come into effect under the lights in the second innings. Joty said that they wanted to give their batters the best possible chance to put on a score.听
鈥榃e wanted to give our batters a pressure-free space, because when we chased runs in the last match, we didn't bat well. The top order failed,鈥� she said.听
鈥楤ecause there's always pressure during a run chase. So, we wanted to bat freely and give comfortable space for our bowling team. As you've seen today, when we can get enough runs on the scoreboard, then there's something to do for bowlers. So, our plan was like that,鈥� she added.听
However, the Bangladesh captain still believed that they were a few runs short, as Bangladesh managed only 28 runs in the first 10 overs and showed little intent.听
鈥業 think we were 15-20 runs short in the total score. If our top-order batters would have focused on strike rotation, then we could have added 15-20 more runs there,鈥� said Joty.听
鈥楾he scenario could have been different then. Most importantly, if we could give better effort on fielding and take catches, then the result would come in our favour,鈥� she added.听
After beating Pakistan in the first match, Bangladesh lost two golden opportunities to beat England and now South Africa.听
Their next fixture is against defending champions Australia on October 16 at the same venue, and Joty said that they needed to keep their heads high.听
鈥業 think we should not be disappointed or heartbroken, because the show must go on. We should carry forward the positive things from here and go for the next matches,鈥� she said.听
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