Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan admitted that they didn’t perform as a team in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2023, which led to their failure in the continental event in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will take on India in their final game of the tournament in Colombo.
Bangladesh’s performance at the Asia Cup has been dismal, as their victory against Afghanistan in the group stage has been the only noteworthy outing. Shakib Al Hasan-led side has lost their other three games, twice to Sri Lanka and once to Pakistan in the Continental event in a convincing manner.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game against India, Shakib Al Hasan said that every player owns the responsibility for their poor performance in the Asia Cup 2023 and believes that everyone in the squad is looking forward to their respective responsibilities in the upcoming matches. He thinks the team will benefit greatly from beating India in the decisive game on Friday because they are playing a high-calibre opponent.
“Look, the responsibility does not lie on my shoulders, because everyone has some kind of responsibility. I am sure everyone will work to fulfill his part and if everyone can contribute, only then we have a good chance to do well, and if we can add all the individual performances together, only at that point can we do well. They haven’t contributed that much and they know that. They are trying to do that.”
“Yes, there are things to gain. If we can win the last match before returning to the country, it would be a good thing. We don’t want anything else from the match, just the win will do,” Shakib Al Hasan said.
The intense rivalry between these two teams means that this game is a dead rubber even if the result won’t have an impact on the tournament standings because India has already qualified for the final and Bangladesh has been eliminated from the Continental event.
It’s Disappointing That We Haven’t Batted As Well As We Would Have Liked – Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan said that their Asia Cup 2023 may or may not have an impact on their performance in the ODI World Cup and wants to put this performance behind them to come good in the next series against New Zealand on home soil.
“I don’t know (whether the Asia Cup performance will affect us or not). Yes, it’s disappointing that we haven’t batted as well as we would have liked but we may be able to come in the next series,” Shakib Al Hasan added.
Bangladesh has emerged as one of the better white ball teams in world cricket. They will look to utilize their experience to do well in the sub-continental conditions in India.