Dhaka : Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah has taken full responsibility for his side’s heart-wrenching one-run defeat against India in the World Twenty20 group stage match, saying that it was completely his fault for not being able to finish the game in their favour.
“Still there was hope. I thought we could get at least one run off the last ball. It didn’t happen, and it was my fault. I wanted to finish the game off. The chance was there, I couldn’t take it. I missed a ball that had to be struck for a six. I can’t go back and do it again. But I will try to take the safer option next time I face such a situation,” the 30-year-old was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
The middle-order batsman admitted that it was a heart-breaking loss for his entire team as his side missed a great chance to beat India at their home ground.
“Can I forget what happened? Not for once did we think we wouldn’t win when we needed two runs off three balls with myself and Mushfiqur at the crease. To be honest, I couldn’t believe Mushfiqur would get out after hitting two fours. Then I got out. It was my fault. It was a huge chance to beat India in India, but we couldn’t take it. It was heart-breaking for all of us,” he added.
Chasing a target of 146, Bangladesh required only two runs off the last three bowls to pull off their first ever T20 win over India.
But Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya took two wickets in two balls, first Mushfiqur Rahim and then Mahmudullah before Mahendra Singh Dhoni also ran out Mustafizur Rahman in the last ball of the game.
Mahmudullah, who tried hitting a full toss for a six before getting caught out, insisted that he could never forgive himself for that one-run loss and said that he would never risk the big shot whenever a situation arise in future.
The match against India was the only jinx in Mahumudullah’s otherwise rewarding year, as he scored two back-to-back hundreds in the 2015 World Cup for Bangladesh before smashing 275 runs in 14 T20 innings for his side this season. (ANI)