Shakib Al Hasan wants to put behind last-over fracas vs Sri Lanka ahead of final
Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh skipper, is not too keen to dwell on the last-over fracas against Sri Lanka in which he threatened to take his players off.
Bangladesh’s two-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 tri-series helped them enter the final where they will take on India. However, the win was marred by ugly scenes, first with skipper Shakib Al Hasan threatening to take his players off, followed by a photo which broken glass panels in Bangladesh cricket team’s pavilion.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Shakib stated he was not dwelling too much into the past and was aiming to put up a great show in the final. “Let what happened yesterday remain like that. We don’t want to bring it up today or in tomorrow’s game. Let us just focus on the final. The two cricket boards have good relation for the last 10-15 years. Players have great relations too. We are all okay with it,” Shakib said.
READ | First team or not, India can’t afford to lose to Bangladesh: Dinesh Karthik
Following the tense scenes and the altercations that followed, Shakib was fined 25 percent of his match fee while the substitute Nurul Hasan was also fined a similar amount. Both players earned a demerit point.
No mental block
Bangladesh has lost seven Twenty20 Internationals against India. Rohit Sharma’s side have dominated with both bat and ball and have been comfortable even while chasing and defending. When asked about whether the losses against India have given the side a mental block, Shakib brushed it aside.
“I would hope that none of our players have that mental block. It would help us to play well. If we think it is a big final against India, then it is pressure. It is important to be mentally free to do well in T20s. I hope no one takes any pressure, and stays focused on the process,” Shakib said.
READ | Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal critical to Sri Lanka’s ICC World Cup hopes: Aravinda de Silva
Bangladesh will be determined to break their Twenty20 jinx against India, but they will be facing an Indian team on top of their game and the Sri Lankan crowd, who might give Shakib’s side a hard time following the conclusion of the game on Friday.