The Score with Niall O'Brien: Being beaten by the rain is tough to take but we must go out on a high
News

The Score with Niall O'Brien: Being beaten by the rain is tough to take but we must go out on a high

IT was a cruel way for our tournament to effectively end. Being rained out in India is not the norm, but it was fairly clear all day that we were going to struggle to get a game in.

Although we did manage eight overs of cricket, the heavy rain returned and our World Cup was over.

In fairness to Bangladesh, they came out firing and looked on song and there's no doubt it would have been a big total to chase in the reduced 12-over game.

I feel we looked a bit nervous and rushed in the field. It looked almost like we were trying too hard rather than relaxing into the performance.

This can easily happen in such an important game. We knew we had to win or we were gone.

It's a sad way to be eliminated, but we all know that the Oman defeat has been the costly result in this campaign.

A solid win against Oman and we would be sitting top of the table going into last game against the Dutch.

So, one game to play, and we have to lift ourselves. Holland have had the wood over us in recent times in this format so we know there is a good side but there's a certain element of payback that is due.

We know them very well as a team but I stress again it is about us doing our jobs that is the key element. We all need to lift 20 per cent and go out of this tournament with a great win and our heads held high.

Cricket is a tough game at times and can be very cruel but it can be a great leveller too, and if we can win on Sunday and walk away with that it can give you a confidence boost even if it means not progressing to the latter stages.

Personally, I feel India are the favourites for the tournament. Home advantage and a well-balanced squad make for a strong contender for the trophy and with MSD (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) leading the troops they will have all the confidence in the world .

Australia are another side that are strong and I guess for them it's how they adapt to Indian conditions but most of their players play in the IPL so they should be right in that compartment.

As for us, the sun always rises, so it's forward we must march and look to finish strongly.