Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was judged ‘player of the match’ against Oman on Tuesday said that after the win the dressing room is much calmer as the Tigers keep their hope alive to qualify for the Super 12 of ICC T20 World Cup.
Shakib scored 42 runs from 29 balls before getting run-out and picked three wickets for 28 runs.
Bangladesh now need to beat Papua New Guinea in their last match of the group stage which will take place on Thursday afternoon and wait for the result of the match between Oman and Scotland which will take place later on at the same venue.
Shakib feels that a convincing win will suffice to take Bangladesh to the Super 12.
"I am not quite sure as I need to see the net run-rates of all the teams, but as our analysts said that if we beat Papua New Guinea convincingly which we should do, that will be enough. As the other match will take place later on, we must do our part which is winning the next game," he said in the post-match press conference.
After the shocking defeat against Scotland in the opening game, there was a dark cloud of uncertainty that encapsulated the Tigers but after the win against Oman the coast is clear, said Shakib.
"The dressing room is much calmer now, the smile is back on everybody's face. The uncertainty over our qualification is over, for now at least as we hold equal chances to reach Super 12 round," said the all-rounder.
Nazmul Hassan, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, lashed out on Monday and blamed the team management for making some wrong choices.
The batting order was changed totally against Oman which reflected the president's will in some way as Mushfiqur Rahim was pushed down to the eighth position, Mahedi Hasan was pushed up in the order at three where Shakib usually bats.
Shakib said that risks should be taken in T20 and the flexibility is part of this format.
"In T20, flexibility is a widely practiced way. If the first two or three batsmen bat for a long time, then in the late overs straight away number six or seven batsmen are sent when the wicket falls. So, this is something the management tried. We welcome such ideas from the outside, it's good sometimes. But In T20 this is very common practice," said Shakib.
Shakib and many other members of the Bangladesh team spoke highly about the chances of the Tigers in the T20 World Cup but they got a reality check when they struggled against associate sides like Oman and Scotland.
Despite that, Shakib is not downsizing the chances of Bangladesh.
"We have to dream big, isn't it? Or what should we say? Should we say that we are here to lose all the matches? Do dreams change every day? We have our dreams, let's see what comes next," he replied.
Shakib is one of the senior campaigners at world cricket at this moment as he played in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup and also played in various franchise leagues around the globe.
He thinks that over the years, the concept of T20 has changed.
"Earlier people thought that T20 was a game for youngsters. But now it has shown that experienced cricketers play T20 better," said Shakib.
