Not World Cup, captain Shakib focused on Asia Cup for now
Bangladesh One-Day International (ODI) skipper Shakib Al Hasan said that right now he is only focusing on the forthcoming Asia Cup and not the World Cup, in his first official interaction with the media since succeeding Tamim Iqbal as captain in ODIs.
Shakib was named as the Bangladesh captain for the Asia Cup and the World Cup on 11 August. At the time of his reappointment, the all-rounder was abroad, taking part in a franchise league in Canada.
After finishing his stint in Canada, he played at the Lankan Premier League, completed a few more commitments before finally joining the team in Dhaka.
In the two weeks since his appointment, Shakib has commented about his new role a couple of times but he never made an official statement.
On Saturday, in a joint press conference alongside head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Shakib faced the media for the first time as the new ODI skipper.
In the press conference, Shakib said that he is not thinking about the ODI World Cup in India at the moment as his primary focus right now is how the team can qualify for the Super 4 phase of the Asia Cup, which will commence on 30 August.
“Right now, We are only thinking about the Asia Cup. To be more precise, We are focusing on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. We will think about the World Cup later,” Shakib said at the press conference in Mirpur.
“Both are separate tournaments. If we do well in the Asia Cup, that won’t guarantee that we will do well in the World Cup. Similarly, if we perform badly here, that doesn’t mean we will do poorly there,” he added.
Shakib is not new to captaining the team in a World Cup as the all-rounder had done so back in 2011 at the age of just 24.
Over a decade has passed since that tournament and Shakib feels that the experience he possesses right now will help him excel as the captain in the grandest competition in international cricket.
“I was very young at that time. Now in terms experience, we have a very good team. We have a very good chance of doing well,” said the all-rounder.
The Bangladesh team will leave for Sri Lanka on Sunday to take part in the Asia Cup. Shakib wasn’t a part of the national team’s training camp before the tournament and he only once spoke with the entire team as captain. Shakib, however, doesn’t feel that this will be an issue at all.
“I didn’t have to say a lot. I know most members of the team for a long time. Most have either played under my captaincy or I have played under theirs. I don’t think I’ll have to adjust too much,” said the 36-year-old.
There are three cricketers in Bangladesh’s Asia Cup squad who are yet to play an ODI– Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Although they are new, Shakib has faith on their capabilities, “There are a few new players. They know about me. I don’t think there will be too much of an adjustment. Everyone knows what they have to do. In the culture we are trying to develop, everyone knows what their role is.”