14 March - Hamilton - Bangladesh player Fahima Khatun post-match press conference
Fahima Khatun media conference (including translation from Bangla to English)
Reporter: Talk to us through that spell in the middle when Bangladesh picked up five wickets for five odd runs, because before that Pakistan needed about 94-95 In the last 15 overs. So what was the discussion in the middle and what was your game plan when you started bowling in that spell?
Fahima: First of all, I would like to thank the Almighty Allah and we discussed just, we bowled to the right areas and according to our fielding. We discussed that we should just try to bowl more dot balls.. That’s it.
Reporter: My question is, this is the third time in recent history, you have done it against Pakistan. One it was in Lahore again - and today, do you think that when it comes to Pakistan, Bangladesh, gets more competitive and is ready to fight? Come What may.
Fahima: First of all, I would share one thing when we played with Pakistan we were really excited and we were really hungry to win. Today, we decided to just play our normal game. And then when we batted first - I think our girls discussed - if we scored 250+ it would be really good for us. But unfortunately we didn't get that kind of score. But our bowling lineup was really good, we just bowled in the right areas, according to our plan, and we succeeded. Thank you.
Reporter: Can we call Bangladesh the Queens of run outs from now on?
Fahima: Because we are having a lot of run outs?
Reporter: Fahima, congratulations to you. First of all, I would like to know that you were looking forward to winning this match of World Cup actually, to defeat Pakistan considering their strength is quite similar to yours. Plus, this is your first win after defeating Pakistan. So how does this thing make you happy? Secondly, tell us about your own bowling, that time was a crucial moment, so how satisfied you were with your own bowling spell? What was your plan while you were bowling at that time?
Fahima: Yes, first of all, I would like to thank the almighty Allah. Yes, as I told you earlier and also saying now that we always have a hunger for winning against Pakistan. So we have tried our best. As it says, the bowlers always contribute to winning, and batters couldn't contribute that much but this time in the World Cup, the batters are contributing and the bowlers are also supporting a lot. Today with Pakistan, we had a target that since we played really well in the past two games, we would play our normal game and
We just tried to utilize the normal planning that was given by our coaching staff and Alhamdulillah (Praise to God), we were able to do that. And as far as my bowling is concerned, when I came to bowl, my captain and the senior players in my team had faith in me and I was able to live up to the confidence shown in me. And normally my plan was that I would bowl in the right areas, just bowl dot balls, and the wickets would come automatically. If we could create pressure, they would give us wickets because they had an asking run rate of 6.5 or 7 when I came to bowl. So I just had a plan, I will bowl normally, in the right area. Then I was able to succeed.
Reporter: Another small question, You could just take one wicket till 30 overs. You missed some chances. Was there any fear at that time and how did the team's enthusiasm at that time come back to the game?
Fahima: No, actually if are batting first when there's a big score without loss, then it is a matter of concern, but we were still thinking that even if they did not lose a wicket, we were able to keep them under pressure. So that was our positive side. So in that case we didn't panic too much. Maybe we missed some catches or run-out opportunities but we still bowled well. And we did bowling and fielding very well after that. Which is why we were able to cover and in the end the victory came towards us.
Reporter: Although there was a chance of winning against South Africa, now after this win, what are the chances of winning in the remaining matches we have and was there something special in the winning celebration that you did after winning today's match?
Fahima: Yes, of course. We have some players in the team, we always seek to celebrate, when there is a fall of the wicket and this actually inspires us a lot. And I think the habit of winning plays an important role in moving forward. And we are optimistic about the way we are playing cricket and we just want to play good cricket in the upcoming matches. If we can play good cricket, we have good potential, if we can utilize them accordingly, we can present a very good cricket/game, Inshallah (if God is willing).
Reporter: Fahima, first of all, congratulations on such a great historical win. We dropped some catches during the big partnership. As a bowler wasn't that disappointing for you? And one more thing, another question is, do you think that this victory took Bangladesh women's cricket one step further? You took some steps ahead after winning the Asia cup and then we saw that when we qualified for the World cup, there was hype and now we have another one. But this doesn't last long, is this also disappointing for you?
Fahima: Actually, we are not disappointed as we are taking it match by match. Since this is our first World Cup, we want to take some good memories, make it memorable. This is our plan for everyone, individually as well as teamwise. Because we worked hard for the last few months to play good cricket in the World cup. So we are going in that direction. And we hope that it will greatly impact the Bangladesh women’s cricket team. When we won in the Asia Cup 2018 against Pakistan, it was a great achievement for me that I was the 'Player of the Match’ at that time also. I was able to ensure victory for the team. And today too, it is a great achievement for me and I wish to perform consistently for my team. It's always a great pleasure for me to contribute to the team whether it's by scoring runs, bowling, or fielding. I always try to perform for the team. And this win will help us to remain in contention.
Reporter: Fahima, one more question. Which victory will you keep ahead? Do you think this is the greatest victory for Bangladesh women's cricket on this World cup stage?
Fahima: Yes, of course. Actually, this is the first win in the World cup. But I am hopeful that the way we played in the last two matches and the fighting game we played today will have a great impact on us, and the girls in the team are very excited that we can do it. The motto of our team is that we will perform as a team, not one or two but we all will contribute. Everyone is very ready or hopeful to play for the team. Even then, the big thing is that winning with Pakistan always gives us a lot of encouragement. And we hope that in the future we will be able to take it a long way.
Reporter: Fahima, you were not in the XI in the first two matches, so when you were asked before today's match or when you were told that you'll be in the XI, obviously there was a plan on which you were brought in. So what was your thought then?
Fahima: Thank you. Actually, I am always ready to play for the team when the need arises. That the team kept faith in me, I could fulfill that properly. The big thing is that in the morning, I actually didn't know that I would be playing. But when sir told me, I acted normally. I didn't feel anything different. I prepared like any other day. I was a little bit disappointed when I came to bat and couldn't contribute to that. Then I thought I still had one more part - bowling and fielding so that I can make up with it or I can contribute to the team. Praise to God that I could do that. Thank you.
Reporter: Does that mean you are talking about Manjur sir?
Fahima: No, my head coach. Emon sir, [Oh, Okay.] He told me that.
Reporter: Okay, my other question is that when you came to the bowling spell, you said that you were maintaining the process or you kept doing normal bowling but at that time, you had to hold the nerve. How did you handle that as a leg spinner? Because leg spinners sometimes give many runs. So how did you handle the pressure at that time?
Fahima: Yes, I had a belief that they cannot hit my deliveries. I mean, they will not be able to hit over the boundary, I had that much confidence. But somehow, for some time when I bowled in the blockhole, at the end when I bowled in my second spell, I thought that I will bowl more on the blockhole so that they cannot hit over the boundary because their required run rate was higher. In that case, I tried to bowl in the right area, some balls went down the line due to the variation but instantly I could recover from there. It was my normal plan to bowl in the right areas and ensure dot balls.. If I can give three runs per over or no boundary wherein they actually required 6 or 7 per over, they will be under pressure. And if they try to hit my ball then surely we'll get wickets or they'll make more mistakes.
Reporter: Before coming to the World Cup, you did not get the opportunity to play against big teams especially. You have debuted against many teams, Australia for example. So do you think that if you had a chance to play against a better team in these years, then maybe Bangladesh could have improved? Do you think that if you had a chance, to play in a World Cup, or to play in the ICC Women's ODI Championship, then maybe your improvement would have been more?
Fahima: No, the biggest thing is that since we got the chance to play in the World Cup for the very first time, we may have the chance to play regularly from now on. So far, considering our average cricketing age, our experience is much less. So I think there is great potential in the side. I mean, the number 1 to10 players in our team are all all-rounders. I think everyone in our team can bat. So in that sense a lot of teams were unfamiliar to us here, we not just played with Asian countries like Pakistan and India but we also played with South Africa. Australia, New Zealand, England - we have not played with them. They are as unfamiliar to us as we are unfamiliar to them. So we are just trying to move forward according to our planning and as much preparation as we have. We have practiced well together for the last six months. That is reflecting here - we are playing a lot of good cricket. I hope our girls will play better cricket in the future.
Reporter: If you can please talk about your captain, what kind of influence did you see in Nigar Sultana in your team? She is very young. You have very experienced players like Salma and she is also senior in age. But such a young player is leading you. What experiences have you had personally under her captaincy?
Fahima: The biggest thing is Nigar Sultana's involvement within the team. She is very close to us. And we are very lucky that our team has a lot of senior players and a lot of former captains. That's why I don't think she is having a hard time in captaincy. Then the other thing is that when she brought me to bowling today, she said Fahima, I have strong faith in you, you just keep bowling according to your plan, You will succeed. That's it. It seems normal for her, and I always have a very good understanding with her. I think that she will be leading the team very well in the future.