KHULNA, Bangladesh – Kieron Pollard said West Indies had the ability to regroup and rebound from defeat in the first One-day International against Bangladesh.
The Windies vice captain said his teammates have shown in the past that they can cope with the slow, low pitches that are typical in the Asian sub-continent and which helped to set them back on Friday, when they stumbled to a seven-wicket defeat against the hosts at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium here.
"At the end of the day, we have to accept where we went wrong and we can’t look for excuses," he said. "It is about regrouping.
"This is international cricket and we, as batsmen, have to take it upon ourselves to bat 50 overs and not let the tail bat for 10 to 15 overs like they did here."
He added: "We didn’t turn up as we would have liked to start this ODI series, but there are four more games to go and there is a lot of cricket left to be played.
"It is a matter of us regrouping as international cricketers – and professionals – and giving a good account of ourselves and winning in these conditions because we have done it before."
Several of batsmen got starts, but failed to carry on, as West Indies were dismissed for 199 in 46.5 overs, after choosing to bat.
Sunil Narine led the way with a career-best 36, Chris Gayle made 35, Darren Bravo got 35 and Ravi Rampaul added 25, as the Windies batting was undermined by ODI newcomer, off-spinner Sohag Gazi with 4-29 from 9.5 overs and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak with 3-39 from 10 overs.
By the time it was the visitors’ turn to field, the pitch had become a batting paradise, and Tamim Iqbal gave Bangladesh a flying start with 58 from 51 balls in his typical belligerent style before Naeem Islam arrived to nurse them over the threshold with an unbeaten 50 off 79 balls.
"We did not get many runs on the board and Bangladesh showed us how we should have batted on that pitch," Pollard said. "They played better than us and we gifted our wickets away, and they gladly accepted.
"Bangladesh had a very good day. We gifted our wickets away. They weren’t bowling anything magical. I think we have to blame ourselves for the way we batted."
Pollard laid out a game-plan for West Indies which he felt could turn their performance around in the second ODI on Sunday at the same venue.
"I think it is a matter of patience and a matter of playing each ball on its merit," he said. "We did not do enough of it in this match.
"We played injudicious strokes at times when we needed to buckle down and build partnerships and when we were able to build partnerships we gave it away."
He continued: "We also need our bowlers to hit the right areas consistently and not concede that bad ball in each over, and it is about doing the basics right.
"We can also be a little sharper in the field, so I think it is an all-round effort we have to make, and not a case of this and that. We have one day to do it and we have to see if have learnt anything from this match."
Pollard concluded that the Windies now had clear evidence that if they played badly, Bangladesh had the resources to take the initiative and win.