‘Dropped catches are like murder, and they cost us badly’

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal was included as a key spinner for Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 franchise Chittagong Vikings. Having been overlooked by his nation in the last couple of series, Ajmal targeted consistent performances with the leather in Bangladesh with the 2016 ICC World T20 knocking at the door. 

The Vikings however, despite being one of the tournament favourites on pen and paper, have blown more cold than hot on their way to tasting defeats in three of their four matches. Ajmal seems to have followed a similar script to that of his team, scalping just two wickets from three matches.

The Vikings will now turn their attention to the second phase of the tournament, slated for Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

And “doosra” specialist Ajmal believes the port city franchise will be able to avail maximum advantage as the home side with Chittagong playing four of their remaining six matches at their own backyard.

Below are the excerpts:

How much are you enjoying BPL season 2015?

The tournament has been exciting so far and I am enjoying it. It has been able to pull in a good number of crowd in the stadium and sometimes it feels that we are playing at home, to be honest with you. Chittagong Viking are getting immense support but the problem is we have lost a few matches. However, we have some matches left and it is very much possible for us to come back to the competition. I believe we have got a balanced team but we are going through a bad patch at the moment.

Chittagong are one of the best teams of the tournament, on pen and paper at least. Where do you think you guys have gone wrong? Despite posting 180-odd in a few matches, the Vikings were unable to defend their total.....

Fielding has been the main issue for us. We have dropped catches at crucial times and those missed chances cost us badly. The batting unit has been delivering and hope they will continue doing that. The bowling is being let down; it is like sometimes we are doing well in the beginning and sometimes in the end. We are waiting for the team to come up as a unit and the moment we achieve that, I am sure we will have a good time ahead and reach the [play-offs].

Being a bowler, how discouraging it is for you when you see someone drop a catch off own your bowling?

T20 is a fast game and a dropped catch is equal to a murder, to be honest. It is the bowler who is killed here. The bowler is the one on the receiving end in T20 and when his wicket is dropped, it is like a nightmare. The bowler is let down at such moments.

How does one recover after a dropped catch at a crucial time?

It is true that the one who lets go of the catch is your team mate and both the bowler and the fielder should be on the same page. The bowler should control his anger and understand that dropped catches are part of the game. One should not lose the focus from the next ball onwards.

Chittagong are fifth in the points table with just two points from four matches. With the second phase of the tournament starting from tomorrow, what are the team’s goals for the rest of the competition?

Every game is important for us right now. We have to win all the matches in Chittagong, if possible, to survive in the tournament. We are a balanced side; the only concern is our fielding. If we can win the first two matches here, our confidence will sky-high.