Image Credit- Getty
Shakib Al Hasan indicated his intention to attend a
press conference for the first time at the World Cup by striding past the
Wankhede Stadium pitches and towards the North Stand. More significantly, it
implied that he had probably healed enough to play against South Africa on
Tuesday.
What followed was quite predictable because Shakib was
irritable, particularly when questioned about Tamim Iqbal and his own fitness.
Tamim took it personally, especially after learning
this over the phone by a BCB official two weeks prior to the game. Shakib was
questioned about whether he had intended to bat Tamim down the order against
Afghanistan in July.
“How do I relate it with Afghanistan? What is my
answer going to be? You want to know who told Tamim? I don’t know who called
him. It wasn’t me,” Shakib said.
Is he fit, after missing the game against India with a
quad injury? Is he ready to play even if he isn’t 100% fit? “What is the
fitness parameter? You are just here to ask questions… I don’t know what to say
to you. I am pain-free, and if that continues, I hope to play.”
Shakib is expected to play, but Taskin Ahmed is out
with a shoulder injury.
“Taskin is not available for tomorrow’s game. He
will be available after tomorrow’s game,” Shakib said. “He has a
shoulder issue that he has had for the last two games. The doctor decided a bit
of rest will get him fit for the last four games. We don’t want to lose him for
the tournament, as he is an important member of this side.
“If there’s no problem with running, I can play
tomorrow. I wasn’t 100% before the India game. It was also important that I
don’t risk the rest of the World Cup. I am in a good shape now. I am pain
free.”
At the time of writing, Bangladesh is No. 6 in the
standings with just one victory—against Afghanistan—in four games. They haven’t
had much luck, especially with their batting, as Najmul Hossain Shanto and
other players haven’t fully lived up to expectations.
Shakib also supported the management’s choice to
change the order of the batters, such as having Mehidy Hasan Miraz bat before
more experienced batters like himself, Shanto, and Towhid Hridoy.
“We didn’t come here to play only four matches.
We are here to play nine or eleven matches. We know that a player can’t do well
in every game,” Shakib said. “When he starts doing well, and can
continue for five games, that helps the team. I don’t want to comment on this,
but we want to do well as a team. We have room for improvement.”