'We let down fans': Bangladesh skipper Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has apologised to the cricket-loving fans of his nation for their shambolic performance in the T20 World Cup and blamed his batting unit for the disappointing run that ended with a defeat against a gritty Afghanistan here.

After India beat Australia on Sunday, both Afghanistan and Bangladesh had a realistic chance of making the semi-final but it was the Rashid Khan-led team that defended a below par 115 to make the last-four stage.

Bangladesh needed to knock off the target in 12.1 overs but there were all out for 105 in rain-marred Super 8 contest.

"First of all, I would like to say that as a team, we let down all the fans of Bangladesh who follow us and support us. So, I apologise on behalf of the team. As a batting group, we couldn't give the best to the people of our country," Shanto said at the post-match press conference.

"We feel sorry for that. We will try to come out of this situation in the future," he added.

Crestfallen he may be, but Shanto drew some positives from the campaign. "The positive side is that the bowlers have bowled very well. Rishad [Hossain] has bowled very well in almost all matches in a big tournament like this. There were a lot of positives, but as a batting unit, we let down the fans and the people of our country," Shanto said.

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