Bangladesh looking for perfect

Thirteen defeats in 14 matches was Bangladesh's ODI record this year prior to the ongoing Zimbabwe series. Heads were buried for most parts of the year and the players seemed to have had forgotten how to win games. A droopy Mushfiqur Rahim would attend the post-match press conferences with a look as confused as his fans; for neither of them knew what was going wrong."There were times this year when we lost close games and that's what put extra pressure on us. Now it is important that we finish this series well. It is important to continue well and that the players take this seriously. We need to perform better than the last four games here," urged a confident Mashrafe Bin Mortaza at the pre-match press conference yesterday.Come this Monday, the Tigers have an opportunity to overcome that feeling by completing a flawless series. Sure enough, the scars left by the likes of Afghanistan, Hong Kong and a host of other teams, will linger despite the series win. But at the end of the day, finishing the year with a 5-0 whitewash is bound to leave a good taste; something that can be a reminder when the Tigers take on the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the World Cup in two months time.

Asked if it would be a disappointment if the Tigers failed to complete the whitewash, Mashrafe said, "After winning four games, I am not thinking about that. All the players are confident after going 4-0 up. Yes anything can happen in cricket but we have to be prepared to win and we will give our best."