Shocking total left Bangladesh players surprised

Bangladesh opener Tamil Iqbal claims the team was just as shocked as bemused onlooker when they meekly capitulated for 43 in the first innings of the first Test against Windies last week.

Pacer Kemar Roach claimed an amazing five for 8 as only Liton Das hobbled to 25, the rest of the team dismissed for single figures. The score represented Bangladesh’s lowest total in a match it lost by an innings and 219 runs.

“We are shocked like everyone else as we know we are capable of performing better than what we did [in the opening game],” Iqbal was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz after Bangladesh’s disastrous performance.

“We are not trying to make any excuses as we are aware that our mistakes were responsible for our downfall. The way we performed certainly cannot be acceptable,” he added.

Iqbal, however, backed the team to recover ahead of the second Test later this month.

“We must trust our own ability and believe that we can score big runs in difficult conditions. We have to believe that we are better than our opponent, both individually and team-wise.”