Dhaka, Oct 31, (V7N) – Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted Saturday that his side failed to deliver in all three departments, particularly with the bat, but insisted that the team came into the game with the right intent.

The hosts suffered batting collapses in both innings — in the first innings, they lost the last seven wickets for 59 runs after being nicely placed at 213-3. In the second innings, they were reduced to 35-5 before being all out for just 142.

The batting debacle meant they could set only a 170-run target, which the visiting West Indies side overhauled with remarkable ease to seal an eight-wicket victory.

"I think the intention in the dressing room and during preparation was good. The players really wanted to do well for the team, but it was just a bad day. As I said, we didn't do well in all three departments, specially in the field. These things can happen sometimes, but I believe our intention and preparation were quite good," Shanto said.

He praised Shadman Islam for his batting after he scored a century in the first innings but regretted the middle order's inability to build substantial partnerships, particularly when the wicket offered favourable batting conditions in the first innings. "The way Shadman batted was really good to see, especially with him getting back into form. But the middle order, in particular, couldn't build a big partnership. The wicket was pretty good in the first innings, and we should have added a few more runs to the total," he added.

Shanto also lauded Nayeem Hasan for his impressive bowling after returning to the side following a lengthy absence, while praising the contributions of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam. "Nayeem did a great job, especially coming back after a long time and bowling like that. It was really impressive. Mehidy, Shoriful, Hasan and Taijul also bowled really well," he remarked.

The Bangladesh captain acknowledged that poor batting, particularly soft dismissals and a lack of runs, had put the team under pressure. "We didn't bat well. We started really poorly and gave away too many soft dismissals. Going forward, we need to look at those areas and work out how we can do better in these conditions," he said.

Bangladesh had been poor in the slip cordon, missing several chances and also dropping some crucial catches at various points of the game. Shanto stressed the importance of taking difficult catches and making extra efforts in the field when the team fails to post a competitive total. "When you're not putting enough runs on the board, you need to take your chances. In the field, too, you need to make that extra effort and take some unbelievable catches. Those are the things you need, but unfortunately, we didn't get those opportunities today. These things can happen in cricket," he concluded.

end/wsp/rh/