Bangladesh head coach Steve Rhodes revealed that he is desperate to win the World Cup even though his side is in tricky position as they need to win the rest of three games, reports BSS.
The Tigers’ prospect to reach the last four race looked bleak following their 48-run defeat at the hands of might Australia on Thursday.
But with the World Cup being widely open following Sri Lanka’s stunning victory over tournament favourites England, Bangladesh sensed a chance.
However to materialize Rhodes’ dream, his charges need to win the game against Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.
Rhodes said his players are ready to take the challenge and it would start with the game against Afghanistan who they would face off on Monday at the Southampton.
“I’m desperate to win this World Cup,” Rhodes told the reporters during the press conference ahead of the Afghanistan match on Sunday.
“That’s the challenge and that’s the mountain to climb,” he said.
“I think the Bangladesh team - and we all know from watching, if you really break it down and we do win these matches coming up, we only need five games, and we’ve won the World Cup. That’s one way of looking at it if you think of them all as knockout games. Of course, that is not easy, and the first challenge and the first step is Afghanistan,” he added.
Rhodes added as the time is passing wicket is getting slower and that he believe will suit his bowlers and the batsmen as they progress further in the tournament.
“The wicket was a little bit slower than the wickets we’ve been playing on, and it turned a little bit. We’re playing on the same wicket, so that’s useful to know. And secondly, you’ve all seen where the wicket is on the ground. It’s right in the middle, and it’s huge boundaries,” said Rhodes.
“So, we’re going back to the old ages of 1980s and ’90s, when you had some big grounds to fill. So the six hitting and the four hitting might be less likely of the day against India. We’ll certainly have to run hard and earn our singles in twos and turn them into threes. So that’s an important aspect. And then with the ball, I think, it may well suit some of our bowlers, and we’re looking forward to that challenge,” he concluded.