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Bangladesh will look to put all three phases of the game together and hit "full throttle" in the ongoing T20 World Cup when they face Papua New Guinea (PNG) with a place in the Super 12 on the line according to batting coach Ashwell Prince.
Bangladesh suffered a surprise six-run defeat to Scotland in their opening match but overcame a wobble to rebound with a 26-run triumph over Oman. Victory over PNG on Thursday would move them to four points and if Scotland beat Oman later the same day, then the Tigers would qualify for the Super 12 as runners-up in Group B and move into Group 1 as team B2. However, if Bangladesh and Oman both win, then three teams would be tied on four points, with net run-rate deciding who advances to the next stage. And while Ashwell Prince is keen to put as much pressure on the other teams as possible, he wants his side to firstly focus on producing a complete performance. "We're not at full throttle yet. We fancied ourselves in the first game to chase 140 against Scotland. They obviously came back well after being 53 for six, posted a competitive score and we were disappointed not to get that," Ashwell Prince said in an ICC release. "We bounced back nicely yesterday (against Oman). It was a tough match. I think it was a lot of pressure in terms of playing against the home team and obviously going out of the competition if we lost the game. "That was a big result for us but even so, there are still parts of our performance that we felt we could have done better at. Hopefully, we will improve even tomorrow as we go into the final game," he added. The former South African cricketer said Bangladesh know exactly what has to be done and the side has kept the other two teams under pressure. "There is not much margin of difference in the run-rates of Scotland, Oman and Bangladesh but we have the equation within us, within the team and the players know exactly what to do," said Prince. "Unfortunately, we play the first game. We will have to do our bit and try and apply the pressure on Scotland and Oman. But we have a fair idea of what we need to do," he added. Bangladesh entered the tournament sixth in the T20I Team Rankings and favourites to qualify for the Super 12 from Group B but Prince said nerves have played a part in the Tigers not producing their best cricket yet. "Definitely in the first two fixtures, there would have been nerves around. Obviously, we try and speak to the guys before the game to prepare them as much as possible," said Prince. "Bangladesh coming into this group as the Test-playing nation, you sort of have a target on your back, with the other teams coming after you. We realise that." "Obviously Scotland put in a disciplined bowling and fielding performance but fortunately yesterday (against Oman) we got things going, and I think we're getting stronger at the moment," he signed off. (ANI)
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