Bangladesh all-rounder Miraz blames World Cup debacle on 'luck factor'

KOLKATA: Gutted after the sixth defeat on the trot, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz blamed their disappointing World Cup show on "bad luck" as they became the first team to be knocked out of the showpiece here on Tuesday.

Bangladesh batters floundered yet again to be bowled out of 204 in 45.1 overs, before Pakistan chased down the target with 105 balls to spare to keep their slim hopes alive.

"At the end of the day, you need that little bit of luck factor. But at the moment, nothing is going our way," the off-spinning all-rounder said after their seven-wicket loss.

"Batters are getting out, bowlers are not able to do well, and even we are faltering in taking catches"

"I don't want to blame anyone specifically. It's difficult times for Bangla cricket. But bad days are always followed by good days and I'm sure we will overcome this soon," he said.

"Everyone is down, but it's cricket after all. There will be wins and losses. We still have two World Cup matches left," he added.

Bangladesh duo of Litton Das (45) and Mamudullah (56) overcame a jittery start and forged a 79-run stand but Pakistan again made inroads to bundle them out for 204.

"It was not an easy wicket to bat on. A total of 250 would have been a good score on this wicket," Miraz said.

"But they (Pakistan) played with freedom and had a partnership with such a small target. It's very tough to make a comeback in a low-scoring match.

"If we had taken early wickets scenario would have been different, but we were not able to achieve that," he added.