Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim has urged his teammates to take the onus and improve their awareness ahead of the game against Afghanistan, a match that is crucial for them to reach tri-nation One Day International (ODI) series final.
The Afghanistan game turned out to be a must-win match for Bangladesh following their 99-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the opening match. Not only a victory would give Bangladesh an edge, but also they have to overcome a net-run-rate issue.
Due to vulnerable batting, Bangladesh failed to chase down 272, set by Zimbabwe in a batting-favourable condition. It prompted pacer Taskin Ahmed to express concern over the team's lack of consistency and game awareness earlier a day ago.
Today, ahead of the crucial Afghanistan match, Tanzid agreed with Taskin's assessment, admitting that the batters had failed to take responsibility while chasing the target.
"What he (Taskin) said is true. We could not take responsibility in our batting unit. The wicket was good enough, and I think the target was chase-able," Tanzid said in a video footage sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
"I felt very good as long as I batted. Unfortunately, I got out. But I think we all should take responsibility."
The opener said Bangladesh's batters need to approach challenging targets with a more positive and practical mindset, breaking them down into smaller goals rather than focusing on the overall total.
"Of course, it is a matter of mindset. If we play with small targets instead of thinking about 300 or 350, then things will be easier. This is how we have to set our mentality," he said.
"I think consistency and mindset are very important here. If these two come together, we will be able to do well in difficult situations."
Tanzid also acknowledged that Bangladesh had been outplayed by Zimbabwe, attributing the defeat primarily to his team's failure to perform to its potential rather than the opposition's superiority alone.
"We didn't play good cricket; they played better than us. That's why they won and we lost," he said.