Photo: Firoz Ahmed
Bangladesh desperately needed a change in mindset and body language since Tamim Iqbal’s retirement saga in the middle of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan which the hosts conceded with a game in hand before managing to avoid a whitewash.
The challenge is even tougher for Shakib Al Hasan and his troops when it comes to the T20I format. Afghanistan are clearly ahead of the Tigers, having won six out of their last nine meetings.
The obvious threat from the two Afghan spinners — Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman –– remain on the back of their minds, as evidenced during Bangladesh’s last-minute preparations ahead of the first T20I in Sylhet yesterday.
Four leg-spinners, including Rishad Hossain who is part of the Tigers T20I squad, were seen operating at the Bangladesh nets — indicating the batters had Rashid in mind.
During the pre-match press conference yesterday, Shakib’s strong mental side was evident. The Bangladesh captain chose not to mention the names of Rashid or Mujeeb but instead asserted that the collective approach from the Tigers can help them to win matches.
“We are not thinking about any specific individual and our team is also not dependent on one batter or bowler. We want to perform as a unit so that we can win matches and this is how we want things to be,” Shakib told reporters.
“We didn’t discuss or think about any specific player. Whoever will go out to bat or bowl, I am sure they have worked individually on how to play according to the situation. It is something you can’t say to anyone as it is up to the individual regarding how he can fulfil his responsibility and perform.”
Although Shakib was not willing to single out the key threats, statistics present ominous signs for the Tigers. In T20Is, Rashid picked up 13 wickets in nine games and Mujeeb bagged seven from five in Bangladesh while boasting an economy-rate of just over six.
Apart from the visitors’ spinners, someone like Fazalhaq Farooqi — who also remained instrumental to dismantle the Tigers batting line-up in the ODI series — will once again look to prove his mettle in the shortest format.
Shakib, however, reinforced his stance to have an open mindset and play as a unit “not think about the opponents”.
“When we have an open mind, it helps to improve our game. So, we should think about that and try to think of improving 10-20 percent each time, and I think that is when the team performs the most.
“We couldn’t perform when we think a lot about the conditions and opponents. I think the less we could do that the better we can perform.”
