'Need time to shape the team'

Former Bangladesh batsman and women's team's chief selector Athar Ali Khan. File Photo:Star

Bangladesh women's cricket team returned home yesterday after participating in the Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup with a task in hand -- to look deep into their performance in the regional tournament in order to set a plan for future improvements.

The team is now enjoying better facilities than it did in the past. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed former England all-rounder David Capel as coach of the women's cricket team before the tournament.  The team performance however did not reflect the support they have been receiving from the board, which is why many have queried whether the team was better off when the resources were less.

“I would request everyone to show patience towards the players, coach and support staff. This team needs some time and I hope you will see the result within a very short time,” said selector Athar Ali upon his return with the team.

“True, I had expected better results from this team but unfortunately our batting didn't click. Batting is the area where we need to do much work for better results. There were some positive performances in the competition but as a team we didn't perform well, although we left no stone unturned in preparation,” he continued.

Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka by seven wickets which drew flak as they earlier played two matches against the Lankans and won both matches. “It is very difficult to judge any team in the T20 format. Just one good catch changed the whole scenario of the match. On the other hand, India and Pakistan were a much better side than us.”

Bangladesh also lost to India by 64 runs and Pakistan by nine wickets and they only won against Thailand by 35 runs and Nepal by 92 runs.

The team's next assignment is at home as they will play five ODIs against their South African counterparts and will then travel to Sri Lanka to play the ICC World Cup qualifiers in February.

Athar however emphasised the need for more domestic games.

“It takes time to pick up the right combination. We have international matches but what we need is more domestic cricket for the women's cricketers. They have hardly got the opportunity to play domestic cricket whereas India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in a better position in this regard,” he opined.

“Our men's team also went through such a critical stage but gradually they found their feet in international cricket and I am hopeful the women's team will also follow the path of the men's team,” he added.