ADELAIDE: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan refused to blame the umpires for hastily restarting the game after opener Litton Das, whose innings had put Bangladesh in the drivers' seat before the rain break, slipped twice and was run out immediately after play resumed.
"That's a decision the umpires make," Shakib said, "Both teams wanted to play a full 20 overs but it was not possible. The rain went on longer than we had been informed. Yes, it was a little slippery but usually it suits the batting side rather than the bowling side. We should not make that (quick resumption) as an excuse."
Shakib, who was seen in animated conversation with the umpires during the break, was asked if he had pushed for a full 20-over game. "You think I can influence the umpires? We accepted, what else can we do" he said.
Shakib was of the opinion that the revised target given to Bangladesh after the rain break was chaseable and most teams would make the runs.
"In a close match you can tick a lot of moments which can prove decisive. Litton's run out was crucial. We lose the momentum because of the rain break. If you see our target in the last nine overs, 85-odd with 10 wickets in hand, in these conditions most teams will get the runs. Unfortunate that we couldn't close it out today.
"Maybe we panicked a bit in the middle overs and played too many shots. We don't play enough close games so we don't know how to finish those games. It was a combination of emotion and lack of experience. In those 2-3 overs we lost the plot. Nurul and Taskin batted well to bring us back into the game. This is the nature of T20s, the momentum keeps shifting."
Shakib explained at length that Litton Das' exemplary knock was not a one-off or a surprise. "He has been playing well across formats for 2-3 years now. He has carried that confidence into the T20 format. He now knows how to score in T20s."
