'Collective effort missing'

Shakib Al Hasan escaped unscathed with the ball when others were taken to the cleaners by the brute force of Corey Anderson. He then scored 41 but this particular knock off 34 balls in the final T20I at the Bay Oval yesterday was not something that has gone with his usual expressed intention of winning games. He dropped a sitter at a crucial stage and when he talked after a 27-run defeat he admitted they have not collectively played well in the limited-overs series that ended in six defeats in six games.

The end was a bit punishing in the form of one Corey Anderson, who has certainly shown that he has left behind his back pain with a whirlwind, unbeaten 41-ball 94.

“He batted very well. It would have been good had the score been limited to 160-170. We are not getting results because we are not contributing collectively. We could have done better but we will have to accept that they are a very good team in their own conditions. They were technically and tactically better than us in their own conditions,” Shakib told reporters at the post-match briefing.

He however did not want to use the conditions as an excuse for the defeats.

“The conditions were certainly a factor. We have come here after five years. But the wicket was good for batting. We have got starts but failed to convert those into big scores. We bowled well in patches. When we did not bowl well they hurt us most,” admitted the all-rounder.

When asked if the wicket changed after Bangladesh were 80 for one in eight overs, he said: “You need momentum but if you lose wickets at regular intervals it's tough to get the momentum back.”

He also observed that the New Zealand batsmen have got more muscle than their Bangladesh counterparts.

“It was difficult to tell from which end it was easier to bowl on this wicket. I think we have bowled from our comfortable ends. But one thing is that they have got more power-hitting ability than us,” said Shakib, adding that experienced pace bowler Rubel Hossain bowled really well in the three T20Is.

When asked if it was a wise decision to use Soumya Sarkar when Mosaddek Hossain still had an over left, Shakib replied: “It was the decision of the captain. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work,” quipped the vice-captain.

About his personal performance in the series he said it was a mixed bag.

“I'm happy with my bowling. But in batting I should have scored more considering the wicket we have got. In that respect it was a bit disappointing for me,” opined Shakib.

Regarding the dropped catch that let off Kane Williamson when the Kiwis were starting to accelerate, he said: “I have dropped an easy catch. Tamim's one [also off Williamson] was a bit difficult. Fielding is something that can change a team's outlook and if you compare the fielding of the two sides you can easily see how good they are.”