Bangladesh have successfully managed to seal the ongoing five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe by winning the opening three matches at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

We get less credit for winning against smaller teams: TaskinThe series now has shifted to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for the remaining two matches and as the Tigers have already confirmed the series win, there are talks in the air on what Bangladesh can take from the rest of the matches of the series.

The national team will be heading to the USA after the completion of the ongoing series to feature in a three-match T20I series against the hosts later this month. The Tigers will then compete in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, scheduled next month.

Although Bangladesh have beaten Zimbabwe in all three games so far, their overall performance, especially the performance of the batters, couldn’t fulfil the expectations of many and it remains a matter of concern ahead of the show-piece event.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe aren’t recognized as a top cricketing side anymore and their missing out on the latest two World Cups (the 2023 ICC World Cup in India and the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup) said it all about their downfall as a team in the recent years. 

On Thursday, when Bangladeshi speedster Taskin Ahmed was asked about their next goal from the series, he said that their target is to go into the T20 World Cup with as much improvement as they can.

“Our goals are World Cup-oriented. We have to give our best in all conditions. We don’t control what conditions we play in or against which opposition we play,” Taskin said during a press conference in Mirpur.

“If we can get into the World Cup with 5 or 10 percent improvement, we can then start well in that tournament. There’s a lot about Zimbabwe as an opponent but if we lose against them, there will be a lot of other talk.

“We get less credit for winning against smaller teams. If we lose, they will mock us. Unfortunately, we have to hear a lot of things. When we get out to play, we try to give our best,” he said, adding that the results against Zimbabwe would surely boost their confidence.

“It is not fake confidence. Playing well always boosts confidence. We are not aware of US conditions, probably play in drop-in pitches. We have to adapt in a new way,” he said.

“It is good that we are going to play the USA in three T20Is. It will give us some time for early adjustment. We can’t change conditions in Bangladesh but more sporting wickets may have been better,” he added.

Meanwhile, Taskin, who is the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing series with six wickets from three matches, said that as the players they felt most disappointed when they failed to perform but he expects better performance in the coming matches.

“More than anyone, we feel most disappointed when we don’t do well with bat or ball. We work hard consistently to improve our batting and bowling,” he said.

“We know that we haven’t started with the bat according to expectations. We are working on it. I hope we can do better in these two matches,” he concluded.