Mashrafe Mortaza said they want to win more than be respected
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that they are focusing more on winning their matches than being respected by other people.
“I’m not worried about who is respecting us, I’m more worried about our performance,” said Mashrafe in an interview in Bristol on Monday. “Winning matches is more important for us. I don’t think respect is going to work in the 22 yards (of a pitch). It all depends on how we react on the ground.”
“If we can win two points, this is more important than respect at the moment,” continued the 35-year old fast bowler.
This comes after the Tigers had an impressive win in their first ICC Cricket World Cup match against South Africa where they won by 21 runs. There were suggestions after the match that the result constituted an upset which annoyed Mortaza.
“Do you think this was a surprise?” Mortaza said. “If we can deliver our best, we knew what we could do. I’m sure some people don’t think well of our cricket. We are concentrating on our game and letting other people talk.”
Meanwhile, when Mortaza was asked about the Tigers’ ambitions for the current World Cup, he answered that it is possible for Bangladesh to be part of the semi-finals.
“Obviously, we would like to be in the semis but right now, the calculation is difficult,” stated Mortaza. “But again I’d say it’s very much possible. We have to make sure we come back onto the winning track.”
Bangladesh lost their second and third match to New Zealand and England, respectively. They will play their fourth match today against Sri Lanka at Bristol County Ground.
The Tigers currently have odds of -137 of winning the game while Sri Lanka has odds of +116.
READ MORE: Sportsbet.io Review
