Mortaza vows ODI improvement

Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh's pace spearhead and vice-captain, has promised his side will look a different outfit altogether when they don their pyjamas and take on Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series due to start from July 20.

Sri Lanka pummeled Bangladesh 3-0 through a depressingly predictable Test series, but the visitors' progress has been in the shorter form of the game and Mortaza believes it will be different when the first ODI comes round.

"As a team we are a thousand times better in one-day cricket than Test cricket. So you will see a different Bangladesh in the series although it will not be so easy because Sri Lanka is very strong opponents," Mortaza told Dhaka-based The Daily Star.

Mortaza admitted his own performances - only three wickets and 23 runs in the series - was below par but dismissed suggestions that he was disinterested in proceedings. "This kind of question arises only when you don't perform well. But what I must agree with is that I have suffered from a lack of confidence in the series and what I felt is that I was a little bit tired because of too much cricket for the last two years.

"I know my performance was not up to the mark. I am also frustrated with my performance because I had a lot of expectation after I missed the last series in Sri Lanka due to injury. But it was not so easy to bowl well against this kind of batting line-up and the conditions were also not in favour of bowlers in the first two games," he said.

Bangladesh were bowled out cheaply in the first innings of each Test - twice for double figures - and Mortaza said that also played a part in his performances. "It always puts pressure on the bowlers when their side is bowled out cheaply in the first innings. But what I realised after the series is that I have to develop the reverse swing in my bowling otherwise it will be impossible to get success with the old ball and I have already talked with Malinga (Lasith) about the matter."