We have to be at our best to beat India: Steven Smith

Australia notched up a 3 wicket over Bangladesh today at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru to open their account in the points table. Adam Zampa and Usman Khawaja were the top performers for the Aussies today. They will now travel to Mohali where they will face Pakistan on the 25th which happens to be another must-win game for them. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have disappointed in the tournament so far with back to back losses. They are virtually out of the tournament and only a huge miracle can see them advance to the knockout stage.

Winning Captain Steven Smith had one unusual fact to share while talking in the post match conference. Smith said: “We made it difficult for ourselves in the end. Bangladesh bowled well in the middle and took a few wickets. One of the top four needed to kick on and make it clinical. We have been losing wickets in clumps in the middle so something to work on. Pitches are different from what we are used to in the IPL – where the wickets are good. Something we need to get used to. We have to be at our best to beat India.”

Mashrafe Mortaza emphasized on concentrating on the future games. Mortaza said: “We knew the first six overs will be crucial. It’s a big scoring ground. Fielding and bowling could have been better. Mahmudullah played well and also Mithun and Shakib. It’s two losses in a row but we have two matches and need to play hard and see what happens.”

Adam Zampa kep it short and simple. Zampa said: “Nice to make a difference. It’s nice to get the tournament off and rolling. I’ve been playing in front of 80000 people in the BBL, so it’s something you get used to. Have played 3-4 games here now so getting used to. Have had a little bit of travel, off to Mohali now. Hopefully it’ll be nice.”