Perform better, Mashrafe urges Bangladeshi batsmen

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza sees room for improvement in his team's batting.

Bangladesh convincingly beat Zimbabwe by 42 runs in the second Twenty20 International to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium here on Sunday. They next play the African team on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.

Although Mashrafe was pleased with his team's improvement from the last match, he was far from satisfied by the manner of the victory.

"(The win) was definitely better than that of the first match. We did well as a bowling unit. The batting wasn't bad either. Some batsmen got themselves out after getting set, or else the score would have been bigger," Mashrafe said.

"These things need to be fixed because bigger challenges lie ahead. If someone gets to 30-40, he must play a bigger innings."

Sabbir Rahman, however, stood out by scoring an unbeaten 43 before taking 3/11. "He (Sabbir) has been doing well all the time. He is in good touch."

But Mashrafe highlighted the other aspect of the leg-spinning all-rounder.

"I've asked him to focus a bit on his bowling. When a batsman has the ability to bowl, it is always an advantage, not only for the player but also for the team. He is up to the mark as a batsman. He has been bowling well too. It would be great for the team if he can keep it up," he concluded.