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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 1, 2019

Mashrafe Mortaza

Kennington, London, England, UK

Q. You head into this competition with an English coach in Steve Rhodes. Tell us a little bit about what he has told but English conditions, and do you feel, as well that, this is an advantage for you, Bangladesh, over certain other nations in the competition?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Look, he's been like six, eight months, he's been working with us. He's very good. He has a lot of experience about the England wickets and everything. Hopefully -- not hopefully, we'll have taken already so many things from him, which wicket are going to be which way.

At the moment, we're playing in The Oval. We had a chat with him and obviously have seen the first matches, how has the matches been going. So actually, what happened that whatever the informations we need from him or need from the first match, we'll have already taken.

But the things that now important, how we react and how we perform tomorrow.

Q. We've seen already in the competition a lot of pace bowling, a lot of bounces, and not much spin. We spoke to Imran Tahir earlier, and he said not much spin on the pitches he's been on. Is this a concern for your side or are you finding ways to maybe adapt to the conditions and do something different?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Yeah, obviously, and that's what we know before we came to England. The spinner is not going to help much. Even the quick bowlers doesn't help much, before the World Cup. Now suddenly we saw the pace bowlers got some wickets in a few matches we have seen.

So it depends. Tomorrow might be different match. So maybe wicket will be flat. Maybe spinners will come and play the role. You never know. It's important that everyone has to be ready, either quicks or spinners, everyone has to be ready to give their best tomorrow, and if -- if someone get wickets and his job is to make sure he's still putting pressures and whoever is bowling not well, he have to make sure that he is not giving so many runs and he is bowling tight. That is the way I think we have to go.

Q. And you've beaten every side in the competition over the last couple of years. How much confidence does that give you in this new format, where you play every side, and you can get to the latter stage of the competition?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: You never know. It's a new format, which is very difficult, what I feel, because even the positive sign, even if you lost, there is a chance to come back, as well. So I'm thinking both ways.

But important is taking one match at a time and play hard and let's see. That's the way I think -- that's the best way I think we should move, and tomorrow, I'm pretty much confident my side will give our best shot.

Obviously the result matter for me; what matters is how much effort we are putting in and what we expect from our players that make sure you give your 100 per cent till the last bowl. That's it.

Q. And South Africa have obviously already played a game in the competition, losing to England. There will be a lot of pressure on them. How do you prepare to face a side that is under that kind of pressure?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Look, I don't see it that way. People start, they already played one match and they lost already, so they thought they are under pressure, which isn't going to work. As long as we don't deliver our best shot.

But we are worried about -- not worried, actually. We are thinking about our process that how can we process right and make sure we give our 100 per cent on the ground, and do what we can do.

But that's going to help us, rather than thinking about the South Africans' mentality and how they are feeling on the ground. Obviously if we can put them under pressure, then it will be a different ballgame. But they will come hard, for sure, and we have to make sure we come hard, as well.

So the battle will be difficult, so we will -- I'm sure that our boys will give best shot.

Q. And we have already spoken a bit about bounces and fast bowling. Tell me a little bit about how you prepare for the likes of Rabada, Dale Steyn and Iggy. These are top-quality bowlers. How do you prefer to face them in English conditions?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Obviously they have been wicket taking bowlers for South Africa for a long time. And we are expecting, also, not they are going to be tested as with the bounces and everything.

But there are other things that we are also ready. We are pretty much confident to give our best shot, as I said, that they will test it. We will try to test them, as well. Soumya is in good form. Tamim is in good form. Hopefully they will test us and how we have to now going forward, how we have to play, we know our process, as well.

You know, you have to have some luck, as well, so hopefully the luck will be with us and our process obviously will be with us.

Q. You've played against South Africa in previous World Cups. How would you rate this side compared to other sides?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Obviously A.B. de Villiers, when we played in South Africa, A.B. de Villiers was there and he played a big role. Without him, I think this team also a very good side. There is Faf who is he's a brilliant player, Hashim, Kagiso and some new guys, there's been in good form. I think this team is a very dangerous side and they can -- they can do anything.

So maybe the first match wasn't great for them, but they have always chances to come back and do something this World Cup. So we are expecting that it will be a serious match. They will come very hard to us, and we have to make sure that we have to play our best cricket.

Q. Could you please give us an update on Tamim, and also, since the last time that you played South Africa, you've played about 27 ODIs in between them. How do you think this unit of Bangladesh have improved since that last time you played in 2017?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: You are asking about 2017?

Q. Yeah.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Okay. About Tamim, I think he had a fitness test. He already on the ground with physio. So I think physio will give a final -- actually not physio. Tamim will give a final call how he's feeling because all depends on Tamim. I know specifically players understand himself and how that will go tomorrow. I think Tamim will give us a final call.

And our team, last Champions Trophy, we played well, but having said that, the luck has been with us, that rain I think against Australia matches in 2017 Champions Trophy, performed there,, I think we haven't played much in here, in England. Maybe we haven't played any games. But we have been playing South Africa. We have been playing some overs these tournaments we have been playing.

So we have been pretty well. Let's see what happens, you know, before playing first match, you cannot expect or you cannot tell so many things about the teams.

The things that our team has been shaping well, our team has been playing well the last two years. They have been performing at their best. Yes, obviously a few things we have not been very happy but we have been adjusting all these areas. At the same time, I think tomorrow is a big game. Obviously starting out World Cup, so isn't going to help, even we win, Ireland, that's not going to help much. It's a new tournament, new process. So I am expecting that players will be confident and give their best chances to play well.

Q. The last three, four years, ever since the last World Cup, you've been pretty well in the international tournaments and that obviously has resulted in a growth in belief within you, within the team, confidence, all that. What is tricky? Is it the pressure or expectations of the fans back home or the expectations within your own team? What is more trickier for you guys to deal with?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: For this World Cup?

Q. Yeah.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Look, we don't have to think about what going on outside, which is important that we have our own belief that people, when Mustafizur came -- I give you an example, when Mustafizur attacking field came and bowled seriously and people start that the bowler is something else.

When he got the injury, everyone started, you know, in a different way. Now everyone doubting him. So as a team, we have never been doubting ourselves. We always back Mustafizur. We knew he's our best bowler and still he can change the game; which is more important, what we are thinking ourselves, not thinking outside, because the problem, people don't think about the problems. People only think about the winning, only thinking about the performance, individual performance, so which isn't going to help us a lot. Which is going to help is bonding each other the last four years, even the last round, we knew how things have been going with us.

We have been helping each other and we still have been trying the same way going. We don't want to change. It's a World Cup match.

We knew that, again, I'd say it's another international match tomorrow, and if anyone gets five wickets, if anyone gets 100 when we play on 15th June against New Zealand, it's another international match. You have so make sure you look at it very simply and make sure that what our family, what our team is giving each others, which is more important for me.

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