Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi admitted his side never recovered from being three for three in their World Cup loss to Bangladesh on Wednesday as their debut in the tournament turned sour.
But he insisted there was still time for Afghanistan to impress at the showpiece event.
Afghanistan lost by 105 runs after being dismissed for 162 in pursuit of a 268-run target at Canberra's Manuka Oval, with Nabi at least having the consolation of being his team's top scorer with 44.
"We bowled really well in the first 35 overs but then Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan batted well for them and took the total to 260," said Nabi.
"We then lost those three early wickets when we batted. It wasn't a good start to the tournament but hopefully we can get better in the next game."
That match will be against fellow minnows Scotland in Dunedin on Sunday, while Bangladesh head for Brisbane and a clash with co-hosts Australia on Saturday.
"It's always important to win the first match and just as important to bowl well," said Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza.
"We bowled well and attacked them. When we batted, Mushfiqur and Shakib were just brilliant."
Mushfiqur, who made 71 off 56 balls, was named man-of-the-match after a 114-run fifth wicket partnership with Shakib Al Hasan (63).
"It's a great feeling," said Mushfiqur.
"Credit goes to the openers. They didn't make big scores but it's not easy to bat first,” he said.
"Shakib and I then made sure we batted a long time and stayed together on a good wicket. We want to carry on this momentum into the other games,” he added.
