"Losing against Afghanistan won't make us a bad side" - Mehidy Hasan on Bangladesh's first ODI series defeat against Asian rivals

Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz said the team is unfazed by the recent ODI series defeat to Afghanistan and will come better in big events like Asia Cup and ODI World Cup later in the year.

Following their 17-run defeat via the DLS method in the first ODI, Afghanistan crushed Bangladesh by 142 runs in the second match to seal their first bilateral ODI series against their Asian counterparts with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Speaking in a press conference following their shocking defeat in Chattogram on Saturday, July 8, Hasan said one bad series won’t tarnish the image of the Tigers. The 25-year-old stated:

“I think we had two bad days. We are not worried about it. We can plan better for the Asia Cup and World Cup. We play to win every game. We will find out where we lack. I said in a press conference a little while ago that losing against Afghanistan won't make us a bad side. One series can go bad.”

Mehidy recalled that Bangladesh had finished in third place - 15 wins in 24 matches - in the ICC World Cup Super League (2021-23) to earn their direct spot in the 2023 World Cup event, scheduled in India later in the October-November window.

He added:

“We have a good record in the last three-four years. We finished in the top four in the ICC ODI Super League. I think we can overcome these mistakes from the past two games, and play much better in the Asia Cup and World Cup."

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"Everyone was shocked with Tamim bhai's decision" - Mehidy Hasan

Veteran Bangladesh player Tamim Iqbal announced to retire from international cricket after the first ODI against Afghanistan. The 34-year-old later reversed his decision following the intervention of the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Mehidy admitted that his teammates were taken by surprise by Tamim’s retirement. But, the all-rounder brushed aside that it had any impact on the team’s tawdry performance in the first two games. He said:

“Everyone was shocked with Tamim bhai's decision. Nobody expected it. It was a break that day and we had training yesterday. We prepared for this game. But that bad feeling was temporary.”

Bangladesh will play against Afghanistan in the final ODI on Tuesday, July 11, in Chattogram before the two teams meet in a couple of T20 Internationals in Sylhet.