Dubai, September 26 (HS): Following Bangladesh’s narrow 11-run defeat to Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash, head coach Phil Simmons pointed to dropped catches and poor shot selection as decisive factors behind his side’s elimination from the tournament.Chasing 136 for victory, Bangladesh fell short at 124 for 9, ending their hopes of reaching the final.
Reflecting on the loss, Simmons said the missed chances proved costly. “The turning point was the three simple catches we dropped. Pakistan were struggling at 51 for 5, but when we let Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz off the hook, the game slipped away,” he remarked.
Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan and Mehidy Hasan put down straightforward chances offered by Afridi, who went on to smash 19 off 13 deliveries, including two sixes, giving Pakistan crucial momentum. Earlier, Parvez Hossain Emon had dropped Nawaz when he was on zero, only for him to later score a brisk 25 off 15 balls.Simmons dismissed suggestions that floodlights played a role in the missed catches.
“You can’t blame the Dubai lights for this. These were not difficult chances,” he said firmly.On the batting front, Simmons criticized Bangladesh’s approach, saying poor shot selection hastened their downfall.
“There was no need to force big shots. We only needed to win, not finish the game early. Against Sri Lanka on this same pitch, we chased 169 with intelligence. Today, critical decisions went wrong, and the absence of Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan hurt us badly,” he admitted.Bangladesh have often been criticized for their strike rate, but Simmons said that while power-hitting was improving, the real problem lay elsewhere.
“We do have the ability to hit big shots, but the issue is sustaining partnerships. That’s where we fell short again,” he explained.Defending the team management’s decision to promote Mehidy Hasan to No. 4 in the batting order, Simmons called it a tactical move to counter Pakistan’s pace attack during the Powerplay. However, Mehidy managed only 11 runs.Despite the loss, the coach highlighted some positives from Bangladesh’s campaign.
“The biggest takeaway has been the form of Saif Hassan, and across matches, our bowling unit has been excellent. That gives us encouragement moving forward,” Simmons concluded.
Bangladesh’s Asia Cup 2025 journey featured victories over Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, but back-to-back defeats to India and Pakistan sealed their exit from the tournament.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
