Litton points to limited match preparation after Pakistan loss

Bangladesh captain Litton Das believes the team's limited exposure to the match conditions played a significant part in their six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the Asian Games cricket semi-final in Nisshin on Thursday.

Bangladesh entered the contest without having played a competitive match in Japan and had very little opportunity to train on the match wicket. Rain had disrupted the tournament schedule, leaving the Tigers with limited outdoor practice before the semi-final.

That lack of familiarity became evident during the opening stages of Bangladesh's innings. The Tigers slipped to 21 for three after being asked to bat before Towhid Hridoy and Mosaddek Hossain put together a recovery.

Hridoy eventually made 42 from 25 balls, helping Bangladesh reach 111 for seven in 13 overs.

Litton said the players had to work out the nature of the surface while the match was already under way, rather than entering the innings with a clear understanding of how it would play.

Bangladesh did manage to put Pakistan under pressure during the chase, reducing them to 53 for four. The opportunity disappeared, however, as Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz combined to guide Pakistan home with an unbeaten partnership.

Litton felt Bangladesh could have made the contest closer by tightening their bowling during the middle part of Pakistan's innings and preventing the batters from finding the boundary regularly.

The captain also stood by his decision to give Mustafizur Rahman two overs despite the left-arm pacer conceding 41 runs.

Litton said Mustafiz had been trusted because of his experience and record in pressure situations.

The defeat ended Bangladesh's hopes of reaching the gold-medal match. They will now play for bronze against Sri Lanka.