Bangladesh pray for CWC knockout stage berth at Chisti's dargah

Ajmer, Oct 14 (UNI) On a high after the victory over Zimbabwe in the last qualifying match for the Champions Trophy, the Bangladesh team visited the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti's dargah here today and captain Habibul Bashar claimed that the ''in transition' side would be good enough to reach the second round of next year's World Cup in West Indies.

Bashar, who performed ziyarat at the dargah along with his team-mates, said his side is passing through a training phase and was extremely high on morale after the stupendous victory over Zimbabwe at Jaipur yesterday.

Bangladesh, along with Zimbabwe, who went winless, were knocked out of the Champions Trophy qualifiers after losing heavily to Sri Lanka and West Indies. He said the team members are excited and spirited at the moment but admitted that Bangladesh was no where near winning the World Cup next year. However, Bashar asserted his team will definitely go all out to reach the knockout rounds in West Indies next year.

He said Australia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be the main contenders for lifting the World Cup in the Carribean islands.

The Bangladesh team reached the dargah around 12:30 pm amidst tight security. A number of cricket fans had assembled at the dargah for a glimpse of the cricketers.

They laid chadar on the mazar and offered flowers and prayers for success in the next World Cup. After resting, the team left for Jaipur.

UNI SL RRT PM ND1650