Excuses about wickets are not acceptable, says Durjoy

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto blamed the wickets back home during the Zimbabwe series for their disastrous five-wicket loss in the first of the three T20Is against USA on Tuesday. BCB director and chairman of HP unit, Naimur Rahman Durjoy, however rejected the idea that wickets were to blame.

Bangladesh batting never really took off during the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe and after flying to USA, they suffered similarly, with top-order failure once again coming to the fore.

"We did not play on good wickets even in the Zimbabwe series, so batsman are really struggling," Shanto said after the game in Houston.

Following HP squad's activities today, former captain Naimur talked to the media and gave his opinion on the ongoing debate.

"If slow wicket was made, it was made according to the team's demands. If we pose the question that when you go outside the country, you make excuses about wickets so then when we make wickets at home, everyone takes advantage of that. So it's done according to the team's demands and what kind of wickets will serve the team's performance," Naimur said.

Naimur felt that talks about home wickets impacting away performances were not acceptable.

"National team is a place to perform. There if you give excuses about the wicket, it's not acceptable," he added.

Bangladesh will take on USA in the second T20I on Thursday hoping to bounce back from the shocking loss as they gear up for the World Cup.