'Life won't stop here'

Upon Bangladesh's arrival in Dhaka yesterday skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza urged fans to move on from the disappointment caused due to the controversial umpiring decisions during Bangladesh's quarterfinal clash against India.

Following the game, effigies of the umpires were burnt at different parts of the country. "People of Bangladesh expected a good match in the quarterfinal and they did not get that and that's why I feel bad. We could not perform the way that we wanted to. You have seen what happened, there's no point explaining that issue [with regards to the no-ball decision].

"Life does not stop here. We will go on. I understand that everyone has been hurt. But what I will tell them is that there's a new series ahead and I hope we can do well there so that everyone can forget this defeat," said Mashrafe. 

Asked if he believed that Bangladesh could have won the game had the decisions gone his way, Mashrafe said, "If we had gotten wickets at that point of time I am sure we could have won. That is my belief."

There were plenty of positives to take from the World Cup for Mashrafe and co. The skipper hopes that they can utilise the momentum gained from the mega event in the upcoming series'. Bangladesh are scheduled to play Pakistan, India, South Africa and Australia this year.

"If I had to select a man of the tournament for us then I would have to divide it between Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim.

"Riyad was outstanding. He was under a lot of pressure... but the way he delivered was brilliant. I think in this World Cup I would place his name should come up after Kumar Sangakkara," Mashrafe observed.

"Mushfiqur has been performing well for the last three years for us and I hope he can continue. Rubel and Taskin gave us crucial breakthroughs. I would also like to talk about Soumya Sarker... he had played just one ODI before the World Cup but put in a very matured show in the big event," he added.

Mashrafe said that the most remarkable change in their side came with regards to their belief.

"The first thing that we needed to do was to believe in ourselves. To believe that we can do something in these foreign conditions. That in itself was a big step for the players.

"And we also tried to enjoy all our moments, good and bad. We stayed together. When we lost our first four practice matches in Brisbane, there were plenty of things that we had to hear from outside, but we still managed to keep ourselves together. This was completely a team performance," said the 31-year-old. 

Mashrafe also thanked the fans who turned up in huge numbers in the various grounds of Australia and New Zealand.

"Actually no matter how good we play, we will always feel for the people of this country, because it's them who has made cricket so special for us. Each and every performance of ours is for Bangladesh," Mashrafe concluded.