No reserve day disappoints coach Rhodes as rain washes away Bangladesh match

Bangladesh’s key World Cup match against Sri Lanka has been washed out by rains and it has left the Tigers’ English coach Steve Rhodes frustrated as he believes one point has been lost.

Ariful Islam Roneyfrom Bristolbdnews24.com
Published : 11 June 2019, 05:29 PM
Updated : 11 June 2019, 05:29 PM

The teams were forced to share one point each from the match abandoned due to rains in Bristol on Tuesday.

“It was very frustrating. We really targeted this sort of game as two points, and I know that Sri Lanka would have fought very hard and are no pushovers at all. But we do see it as one point lost, and that's disappointing,” Rhodes told the post-match press conference.

It is the second match abandoned in Bristol due to rains in this World Cup and a record third one in this edition of the showcase tournament.

Previously, two was the maximum number of games abandoned in 1992 and 2003 World Cups.

Rhodes, who played 11 Tests and nine ODIs for England, thinks the organisers should have kept reserve days in the league stage considering the length of the tournament and the English weather.

"We put men on the moon, so why can't we have a reserve day, when actually this tournament is a long tournament," he wondered.

Bangladesh have a five-day break before they play their next game against West Indies in Taunton on June 17.

“I think when you look, if you know the English weather, sadly, we're going to get a lot of rain. We never know when the rain's going to come. People from all over the world keep asking me whether it's going to rain; I don't know,” added Rhodes, who enjoyed a county career with Yorkshire and Worcestershire.

“But at the moment, we're seeing some problems. And I know logistically, it would have been a big headache for the tournament organisers, and I know that it would have been difficult, but we have got quite a lot of time in between games, and if we have got to travel a day later, then so be it,” he said.

With three points from four matches, Bangladesh are now seventh on the points table, just behind West Indies who have three points from as many matches.

On Monday, skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said back-to-back defeats to New Zealand and hosts England after the only win over South Africa in the opening match might have jeopardised Bangladesh’s prospects of reaching the semi-finals, but the task is merely difficult and not impossible if they win the remaining matches.

"At the moment, it looks very difficult but I say it's possible, it's very much possible. We have to make sure that we come back to the winning track and then have a look what happens next," he said.