ICC World Cup 2019 | I’ll be trying to take a little bit of pressure off the team, says Steve Rhodes
Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes has said that he is keen to take the pressure off his players as they are set for a three-match must-win showdown to stand a chance of making it to the semifinals of the World Cup. Bangladesh will play an already-eliminated Afghanistan in Southampton on Monday.
Wins against South Africa and West Indies, and a valiant loss against Australia means Bangladesh need to win all their remaining three matches to be realistically in contention for a semi-final spot. Head coach Steve Rhodes says his target is firmly fixed on a semifinal berth but he will try to take off all the pressure that rests on his players to deliver what will be a historic achievement for the country. Rhodes feels that focusing too much on the do-or-die nature of the game will hamper his players.
"If you think too hard about it being do-or-die then you can put too much pressure on yourself. So I’ll be trying to take a little bit of pressure off the team," he said at the pre-match press conference, reported AFP.
Instead, Rhodes wants his players to simply focus on the game at hand as another game of cricket. Bangladesh come into the game high on confidence, especially given their batting lineup. They’ve scored in excess of 300 three times, twice in a winning cause and once chasing the target of 381 against Australia.
"They know the importance of the game, but my job is to make sure we concentrate on the game, and we do some smart things, and we play well because, if we play well, we'll have a good chance of winning," Rhodes said.
Playing Afghanistan, in the first of their three remaining matches, looks easy on paper. They are the lowest ranked team at the World Cup. They are yet to win a game in six attempts. But, at The Rose Bowl where the pitch suits their spinners, Afghanistan are a dangerous side as India found out for themselves.
"The first challenge and the first step is Afghanistan. They're a tough team. They're a tough bunch of cricketers. They really fought hard against India," the Bangladesh coach added.