If newcomers are given opportunities, they might perform well in future: Miraz

Mehidy Hasan Miraz started his tenure as Bangladesh’s full-time ODI captain with the series against Sri Lanka, but it didn’t go as hoped, as his debut ended in a series defeat.

With the first two ODIs in Colombo ending in a 1–1 draw, the final match in Pallekele on Tuesday turned into an unofficial decider. In that crucial game, Bangladesh suffered a 99-run defeat to Sri Lanka, resulting in a 2-1 series loss for the Tigers.

After the series loss, Miraz spoke at the post-match presentation, saying, “Our team is still young, with some new players coming in. We always try to remain positive. What we need is time. If the newcomers are given opportunities, they might perform well in the future.”

Bangladesh’s series defeat to Sri Lanka was largely due to a lack of consistency, which was once again evident in their struggling batting performance. Reflecting on the loss, Miraz said, “We made some mistakes. We couldn’t build partnerships in the middle overs, and even at the start, there wasn’t a strong stand. I think that’s where things went wrong.”

Bangladesh has suffered defeats in both the Test and ODI series during their tour of Sri Lanka. Attention now turns to the T20 series, set to begin on July 10. It remains to be seen whether the team can reverse their fortunes in the three-match series.