My gut feeling says Pakistan can destroy any team: Mashrafe Mortaza

Team Bangladesh is roaring at the peak of their form at the moment. After their series leveling efforts in Sri Lanka, they managed to beat Ireland and New Zealand in one game each in the recently concluded tri-series. Their win over the Kiwi camp in the final game of the tri-series saw them escalate to number 6 spot in the ODI rankings. Needless to say, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza is a very pleased man.

Now, the team is set to start its preparations for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. Bangladesh will play Pakistan in their first warm-up game at Birmingham on May 27. Ahead of the Asian clash, Mashrafe Mortaza heaped praises on the opposition team. He noted that Pakistan has the ability to beat any team in the world and they have a good chance to win the Champions Trophy.

“Pakistan, my gut feeling said they’re a very good side and they can do, they can destroy any team. So, yes, they have a very good chance in this tournament. Even Pakistan, always if you go back to history, Pakistan is always a big side. And that’s sort of tournament all those big sides are under pressure,” he quoted as per the quotes in Geo.tv.

He further noted that the Bangladeshi team has been put in a very hard group for the tournament. The likes of Australia, England, and New Zealand are the powerhouses of the tournament. “Once you’re playing for your country, you always have some pressure. But I think that this tournament, the group we’ve got is very hard — Australia, England, and New Zealand. It’s not going to be easy,” conceded Mashrafe Mortaza.

On Bangladesh’s preparations

Talking about their preparations, the Bangladeshi skipper noted that on a given day, they have the potential to stun any opposition. He hopes that the team plays well as a unit. He is happy with the fact that the team is ranked 6th at the moment and is keen on making improvements as the days progress. He accepted that the expectations would be high and is hopeful of doing well in the tournament.

“On our day, we can do anything. And we have some quality players who can change the game. And we’ll have to play as a team as we’ve been doing so far and hopefully we’ll do something here,” said Mashrafe Mortaza.

“There are expectations. But we just want to play the way we have played over the past two years and execute our skills well. We are ranked sixth, it is a pleasure for us, and the team is very happy with that. We want to move on from here and want to go as far as we can in the world,” he added further.