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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

July 1, 2019

Mashrafe Mortaza

Birmingham, England, UK

Q. Mashrafe, is this situation what you had expected to be in a month after the World Cup started? You're playing against India. There's a lot on the line. Did you expect to be in this situation when you started the tournament? And are you surprised that you have come this far in this tournament?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: No, I didn't -- I'm not surprised. Actually, I'm not sure what you are talking about.

Q. I'm trying to say that you're still in contention for the tournament.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Yeah, 100 percent. I think not too much left. We have to play at our best. If we can manage to win, that will be great, but to be honest, both sides are very strong. We have to think about tomorrow. India is a very strong side in this World Cup, and it's not going to be easy, but we have to play hard and have to be 100 percent in every area. Good thing that we're still in the tournament, maybe, maybe not, but let's see. We have to play a lot better than what we have been played.

Q. You had some tough encounters with India in World Cups and in other ICC events, and like last time there was the Rohit Sharma no-ball incident. Are you sort of looking to sort of set the record straight this time and beat India across the line and beat India this time?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Look, every time we played, we want to beat, but India was mostly, in the last few World Cups, was the better side, and that team is a very, very strong side as well. To be honest, we go out onto the field to play at our best, and let's see. You never know. If you have a very good day, played every area, and if we are 100 percent correct, then you never know. It's a sport that in your day you can beat anybody.

As I said, that is very hard, but we have to be at our best.

Q. Beating India is special for Bangladesh fans. Is this one of the reasons it creates pressure on you when you play against India in your last few close matches in the last few tournaments? Is there any psychological block?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: No, I don't think it's psychological. It's all about skill. Obviously, cricket is a psychological game. Fans are doing whatever they are thinking, so I don't think so in the middle, when we are playing, it's helping us a lot because all the pressure has to be handled while our players are playing.

So it depends man to man, who will take pressure. Obviously, there's pressure in the field. It's a good thing that people are supporting Bangladesh cricket team. Obviously, they want us to win, which is normal, I think. Obviously, Indian fans also supporting Indian team, and they want to win. So it's a normal thing. But I don't think there's a lot of pressure. The teams -- those 11 players who play on the ground, in a difficult situation, they'll feel the pressure.

Q. Mashrafe, hi. India spoke about the short boundary here and how in some ways they perhaps felt it was a bit of a disadvantage. You're playing on the same pitch that they played on yesterday. What do you make of the dimensions of the pitch? Are there disadvantages? Advantages? Things that you can exploit?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Look, I think it will be the same wicket and same ground for both teams. So I don't make any comments about it because we haven't played any matches here now. Yes, one side is pretty smaller, so batsman will target it normally in that area, which is normal, but I think both teams will get the same benefit here.

Q. Mashrafe, today Bangladesh -- yesterday England took on the Indian spinners. They scored 160 runs in 20 overs. There was a plan to attack the Indian spinners by running down at them hitting, according to the pitch of the ball. Are you guys going to target the Indian spinners here with the shorter boundaries as well?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: I think Indian spinners are doing a lot better. If we look at their stats in last two, three years, both spinners are doing so well. I think just can't think that what England did and we'll do the same things and get success. So whatever we need to do, we need to stick to our plan and play the way we've been playing. I think our batting has been very good through all of the tournament.

Maybe against New Zealand we could do a little better, but the way we're playing, I think we should stick to our plan, and the way England played, I think, they played their way. So I think we have to play with our own plan.

Q. How vital will the toss be? Because you guys are playing on the same pitch apparently that was played yesterday. Will it be a win toss/win game kind of thing? And secondly, are we looking at the next Prime Minister in 10, 15 years?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: You want to kill me.

(Laughter).

To be honest, I don't know how much important toss. Mostly people have said that toss is very important because, when they use it, they can bat. To be honest, I personally feel that India, both sides are really strong. Even when they were struggling yesterday, they still scored 307, if I recall, 306 or 307. So 306, 7 is a lot.

I will say it both ways. Against India, I'm not sure. Winning toss, obviously, if I have the plan that we want to bat first or bowl first, so obviously, toss will help. But against this side, I'm not sure, to be honest.

Oh, and surely not.

(Laughter).

Q. Since you started your last answer with you want to kill me, we are wishing you a long life, captain, that's number one.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Thank you, sir.

Q. You all have had a pretty long break last match to this one. Is that a good thing? I mean, because you're in a particular momentum, you're in a particular frame of mind to have a break of X number of days, which is more than the usual two or three, and getting back into rhythm and getting everything going, what, is it an advantage, or is it a disadvantage?
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: Well, to be honest, I don't know. It was the system that we knew before playing this tournament. We have eight days break in here. And before that, we have -- the ground has been busy because the two matches that's been happening here. So it's been difficult to practice here because both teams have played before us, and they're also practicing on that ground. So it has been difficult.

It might help. It might help, but to be honest, if we had nine points in our backs, we could have been more relaxed, but when you have seven points and tie situation, you cannot be relaxed even though we haven't practiced, but it was playing in our mind that still we have to play our best and have to win both matches. That is the equation right now. So not been relaxing even though we are not practicing. It has been playing on our mind.

Q. Hi, Mashrafe. Can you please talk a little bit about Shakib's contribution in this World Cup? And also about how Bangladesh cricket has developed since 2007? You have been seeing it all throughout.
MASHRAFE MORTAZA: I think, as far as the development is concerned, I think it's developing a lot. There are so many things we can improve, and that particular stage, we have to deliver particular things, to be honest, to go into the second level.

Shakib, I think, he's been doing whatever he can do. I mean, he's been doing everything on his batting, on his fielding, on his bowling. He's done everything that he could have done. To be honest, he's been the best performer, to me, and for my team I think he's been the best performer in this World Cup.

Still two matches left. We're asking that hopefully he'll keep doing whatever we've done and finish up with a good note.

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