After the six-wicket defeat against India in their opening Group A match in Dubai on Thursday, Bangladesh have their backs to the wall before their next two games against New Zealand and Pakistan on February 24 and 27 respectively in Rawalpindi. Jaker Ali , who made a hard fought 68 off 114 balls and was involved in a record 154-run stand with Towhid Hridoy, talked to a few journalists, including The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan, immediately after the India game where he remained optimistic about his team’s chances of reaching the knockout phase. Here are the excerpts:

Question (Q): Bangladesh came back into the match courtesy of the partnership between you and Hridoy. Still, you ended up on the losing side, how disappointing is it for you?

Jaker Ali (JA): Of course, it’s disappointing. Initially it was a very tough situation for us. We lost half of our side before adjusting to the conditions. Then we tried to get to a respectable score. The middle part was really good but we couldn’t finish well. We were close to having a decent finish.

Q: After being reduced to 35-5, what was the discussion between you and Hridoy?

JA: We were just focusing on batting deep into the innings. Because in that kind of a situation, you don’t want to try too many things. So, we were focusing on one ball at a time and just tried to take the game deep.

Q: You got out right when you were trying to accelerate and then Hridoy also started cramping up. How big a setback was that for the side?

JA: My plan was correct, I feel. I intended to accelerate the innings but I got dismissed.

Q: You guys will play your next two matches in Rawalpindi. What will be your expectation from the top-order?

JA: Of course, we hope that they would be able to score runs. The job becomes easier when you get runs from the top-order. I hope we will get good wickets there and we will also do well.

Q: You have experience of playing in Pakistan for Bangladesh A and also struck a 172 in a four-day game over there. What do you hope to achieve in Pakistan this time?

JA: Actually, we have to play according to the situation. There is no way to know about the wicket beforehand. But I expect that the wicket will be good.

Q: Do you think Bangladesh still has a chance to reach the knockout phase?

JA: Of course. We still have the opportunity to make a comeback. The way the team bounced back from such a difficult situation [against India], we can take a lot of positives out of it. If we can execute everything properly in our next matches, we still have a chance.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the first ball you faced, which was the hattrick ball from Axar Patel. Were you feeling the pressure of the situation?

JA: It was quite difficult for me, facing the first ball as a hattrick ball. The first ball was a blur, it all happened in a second. Then I changed my batting approach a bit. After playing the first ball, I got an idea of the wicket. After that, I became very focused and tried to play ball by ball.

Q: After you edged the ball, did you feel you would have to head back to the dressing room right then? JA: When I looked back, the catch was already dropped. Then I didn’t think about that and just remained focused on playing the next ball.