Mehidy Hasan Miraz said that the decision to press on with an unchanged fast-bowling attack for the deciding ODI against Pakistan was the best one for Bangladesh, since those were “our best bowling options”.
Bangladesh trusted the same playing XI in all three matches – with Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Nahid Rana leading the attack – and won 2-1, a result that came at a time of great turbulence in the country’s cricket. The call to not tinker with the XI was a surprising one given the usual rotation policy in the fast-bowling department.
“We went into the match with our best bowling options,” Mehidy said after Bangladesh won the third ODI on Sunday. “Mustafiz, Taskin and Rana have been bowling really well. Taskin gave us turning points in the match with his wickets. Otherwise we would have lost the match. We had planned to give players full opportunities, as we believe it gives us more chance to win matches.