Couldn't bowl to a plan: Rubel

Positives for Bangladesh have been few and far between on Bangladesh's current tour of South Africa and after the 3-0 loss in the ODI series was sealed by a 200-run defeat in East London on Sunday, pace bowler Rubel Hossain was  -- along with Mushfiqur Rahim -- one of the few players who has something good to look back upon. Rubel took four for 62 in the second ODI and was Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker with five of the 12 wickets they managed to get in the series.

With ODI skipper and T20I retiree Mashrafe Bin Mortaza having left for Dhaka yesterday along with the injured left-arm pacer and strike bowler Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel is left as the leader of the pace pack  for the upcoming two-matchT20I series and, as he himself admitted, that is not the easiest task.

"I have been with the national team for some time now," said Rubel before the team departed East London for Bloemfontein, where the first of two T20Is will be held on October 26. "T20s are challenging and we have also lost the Tests and ODIs to them. We have to concentrate more in practice, think harder about their batsmen.

"The pace bowlers should have done better on these pitches, but we were unable to do so. The pitches were batting-friendly. I think we couldn't bowl according to the plan. We should have taken wickets with the new ball, but we couldn't."

Much like his ODI captain, Rubel focused on the mentality as the reason behind their poor showing on this tour.

"We have to come with a stronger mentality in these conditions. We should know how to bowl in these conditions and read particular batsmen. We have to change some of our plans.

"There's a lot to take from this series," said Rubel when asked if there were any positives to take from a series where they lost the first match by 10 wickets, the second by 104 runs and the third by 200 runs. "We have to work a lot harder. All of the bowlers -- pacers and spinners -- have to become mentally strong. We have to learn how to bowl according to conditions."

While admitting that the team were not up to mark, Rubel was still hopeful of a good T20I series.

"It has been a really bad series for some of us. We still have two T20s, so if we can all stick to the plans, we might get something out of it. It is important to understand quickly what responsibilities a batsman or a bowler has in the shortest format. We are mentally [down] after the Tests and ODIs but if we work hard, we can make a comeback."