Bangladeshi cricketer Taskin Ahmed expressed optimism about his team’s chances of advancing to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals, ahead of their must-win Super 8 match against India at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on June 22 .

After facing India, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan on Thursday. Despite a 28-run (DLS) loss to Australia in their previous second-round match, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Co remain determined to give their 100% in their final two games.

“Despite the challenges ahead, we remain hopeful of our chances. The pitch conditions are favorable, but victory will not come easily. However, we refuse to give up. If we can win our remaining two matches, we will secure a spot in the semi-finals. Even if the weather limits us to a single point in the next game, we will still have a chance to advance by winning our final match,” said Taskin to the press.

“Unfortunately, we lost this match due to a low score. Australia played aggressively. We remain hopeful that we can turn things around and achieve a different outcome if we win the next match,” he continued.

Taskin emphasized that the Tigers must pull up their socks in the batting and bowling department to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

“We must play remarkably in both batting and bowling departments in the upcoming match. Losing the next match would dash our hopes of reaching the semi-finals. Therefore, this upcoming match is a must-win for us. We must significantly improve our batting and bowling performances to secure victory,” he claimed.

Bangladesh have struggled against India in T20I matches, managing just one win in 13 meetings. Their sole victory came in 2019 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where an unbeaten 60 from Mushfiqur Rahim powered Bangladesh to a 7-wicket triumph over the Men in Blue.