Law warns Bangladesh to stay in present

The win against World champions India would count for nothing if his team does not defeat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh coach Stuart Law has said.

The hosts have a chance to reach the Asia Cup final for the first time if they beat Sri Lanka in Tuesday’s match.

If Bangladesh win, they will be tied on eight points with India but will go through to final since they had beaten India in the league stage.

Law said he wanted his boys to continue the momentum and get the better of Sri Lanka. “It’s very important for us as a group after all the hard work we have put in for this tournament. We didn’t have a great preparation time but it has been intense. To win against India, the current world champions, is a feather in our cap. However, we’ve still got a very important game and if we don’t win that game, the win the other night won’t matter,” Law said.

“I’m just trying to tell the boys, ‘Yesterday was fantastic but it means nothing; we’ve got to win the game against Sri Lanka and get to the final’. After the Asia Cup, we can celebrate and look back at fond memories,” Law was quoted as saying by local media.

Law, who was part of Sri Lanka’s support staff when they lost to India in the World Cup final last year, said he cherished the moment of beating India on Friday. “Last year, I was there with Sri Lanka and we got beaten, so to be part of the team that beats the world champions, reverse the dose the other night and have our fans go berserk and seeing the people line the roads. We didn’t get home till midnight. It was something that I wanted to take in,” he said.

Law emphasised the virtue of talking to great players if one wanted to improve. “You have to practice for a purpose. Talking is a big part of learning. These boys have access to the greatest players in the world in this tournament. If I was them, I’d be picking someone’s brains: guys like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Sachin Tendulkar. I’ve seen them from close quarters and they’re more than willing to talk. That’s the only issue I have with the Bangladesh cricket team: we don’t play enough international cricket,” he said.