(Reuters) – West Indies captain Jason Holder says he accepts the underdogs status ahead of their World Cup match against Bangladesh today but played down the significance of their recent run of poor results against the subcontinent side.
Bangladesh and West Indies have played each other nine times since the 2015 World Cup, and the Asian side has emerged victorious in seven occasions, including three wins in the tri-nation tournament held in Ireland last month.
“If you want to put us in the underdog category, fair enough,” Holder told a news conference yesterday.
“We’ve played them quite a bit in the past and they’ve got the better of us, but it’s a different occasion and there’s lots at stake, so we’re all up for it.
“It’s a challenge against Bangladesh, so we just want to get over them and move forward.”
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza hinted at targeting West Indies with his spin bowling options, despite the short boundaries at Taunton’s County Ground.
The off-spin of Mehidy Hasan, who has five wickets in three matches so far in the tournament, could come in handy against a Windies top order packed with left-handers.
“It’s a very important match for us, especially losing few points in the last three matches,” Mashrafe said.
“I think our bowling has been fantastic against them in the last two-three series we played.
“Obviously the top five West Indies batsmen are left-handers, and Mehidy bowled against them really well too.”
A defeat for West Indies or Bangladesh could further hamper their chances of making it to the semi-final stage of the tournament, with both teams currently locked at three points each in their four matches.
