Bangladesh lost the third and final T20I against Afghanistan by a close margin of one run on Thursday, which exploited their inability to finish close games. Chasing a tricky target of 146, Bangladesh came tantalizingly close to the target but could not cross the finish line. The Shakib Al Hasan-led side succumbed to a 3-0 loss in the series. After the match, Shakib took the responsibility for such poor results.

Talking about the close finishes, Shakib said, “I have never batted or bowled in those situations so it is hard for me to answer. But yes I think it is a mental block that we haven’t been able to overcome till now. It would have been good if we could have won the match but going so close and yet falling short is painful.”

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The Bangladeshi skipper was disappointed with the overall performance of his team and said, “Our performance in the series was not up to the mark. We were found wanting in all the three aspects of the game. In all the three games we did not bat to our potential. We also could have bowled better in the first two matches. The body language and fielding need improvement as it was missing on occasions.”

The all-rounder also criticized the two run-outs during the powerplay overs that shifted the momentum. He said, “Having two run-outs in space of three balls was a big setback for us.”

Shakib also spoke about their batsmen’s inability to face the Afghani spinners. He said that despite the fact that the Afghan bowlers are good, not able to chase 9 runs in the final over with two set batsmen at the crease isn’t acceptable. The southpaw all-rounder also said that apart from the final over there are quite a few reasons for their demoralizing series loss.