Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha made sure he evaded any questions on the much-discussed incident involving veteran Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in the lead-up to their opening game against Afghanistan at the ODI World Cup 2023.
In Dharamsala on Friday, ahead of their debut game against Afghanistan, Chandika Hathurusingha was questioned about the controversial TV interview that skipper Shakib Al Hasan gave in which he singled out senior opener Tamim Iqbal over his disagreement to play for the team in other batting positions.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game against Afghanistan, Bangladesh’s head coach refused to comment on the words of Shakib Al Hasan in a TV interview.
“I had a conversation about his batting, bowling, and captaincy,” Chandika Hathurusingha said.
There have been reports that Bangladesh cricket’s situation has taken a drastic turn involving Tamim Iqbal and skipper Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladesh opener made it obvious that the team management would have to accept him as a partially fit player if they wanted to put him in the World Cup squad.
Everything began to fall apart when Bangladesh’s seasoned opener Tamim Iqbal was dropped off the roster for the 2023 World Cup. Authorities from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that his repeated back issues were the reason for his exclusion from the squad.
The Bangladesh skipper attacked Tamim in a TV interview on September 28, 2023, calling his actions “childish” and that he wouldn’t want a player who wasn’t totally fit in Bangladesh’s World Cup squad. He voiced his displeasure about Tamim’s inability to adjust to the demands of the squad.
We Give Ourselves A Chance To Get Into The Semifinals – Chandika Hathurusingha
Chandika Hathurusingha wants to focus on winning four to five games in the forthcoming ODI World Cup to give themselves the best chance to qualify for the semifinals of the mega event in India and said that they will bank on the experience of their players, who have played in IPL in the country.
“We all want to win the World Cup, but realistically, if we win four to five games, we give ourselves a chance to get into the semifinals — that’s our first aim, Some of our players play a lot in the IPL. We have also played in these conditions because India was also our home base. So, we will take that advantage with us throughout the tournament,” Chandika Hathurusingha added.
Bangladesh has emerged as one of the better white ball teams in world cricket. They will look to utilise their experience to do well in India and the Shakib Al Hasan-led side will take on Afghanistan in their opening game on Saturday.
