Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, has admitted that their loss to the Netherlands in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 was a bitter pill to swallow. The Bangla Tigers were no match for the associate nation in the game played in Kolkata, where the Scott Edward-led side completely outplayed them.
On October 28, Bangladesh suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the 2023 World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan’s led side’s batting lineup collapsed miserably as the Netherlands’ bowlers skittled them out for 142 in 42.2 overs in the chase of 229 runs. The Asian team’s batting performance was shameful as they surrendered without putting up a fight.
Speaking to the Broadcasters after the game, Shakib Al Hasan expressed his disappointment with Bangladesh’s performance in the ODI World Cup, describing it as a pitiful campaign. He believes that the team was unable to handle the pressure of the Netherlands in their match in Kolkata and ended up conceding a defeat without putting up much of a fight.
“You can say that [it is Bangladesh’s worst World Cup performance] without any doubt, I don’t have an answer as to why we played this way. We were sloppy in the field. We bowled brilliantly. We haven’t batted the way we can bat throughout the tournament. It is a big concern”.
“Today was another day when we totally gave the Dutch the two points. It is hard to swallow. It is very difficult to digest. These things can happen in cricket,” Shakib Al Hasan said.
In the 2023 World Cup, the Netherlands defeated Bangladesh by 87 runs at Eden Gardens. With this victory, the Netherlands’ position in the 2023 World Cup points table increased from 10th to 8th and they will punch above their weight to string in a few surprises in the marquee event.
It Could Be The World Cup Or This Atmosphere, High Expectations – Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan stated that winning matches helps the team gain confidence, but Bangladesh missed several opportunities to win games in the build-up to the ODI World Cup in India. He believes that the team may have succumbed to the pressure of expectations and wants to identify the areas they need to improve to perform better in the remaining games of the tournament.
