ito
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2014
- Messages
- 9,177
- Reaction score
- -33
- Country
- Location
Bangladesh face Pakistan at home in a three match ODI series starting on April 17. And the world’s premier all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has already begun the war of the words, firing a warning to Pakistan that they won’t find it easy to win. Shakib would be turning up for Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders for their first two games in the IPL 2015, before heading back to Bangladesh for this series.
Bangladesh are highly resurgent after a fairly successful World Cup campaign, having unexpectedly made it to the quarterfinals by knocking England out, before they lost to India. Even though Bangladesh have only beaten Pakistan once in ODI cricket so far, that too way back in the 1999 World Cup, Shakib believes that their home record is something they can take confidence from. "I will start training from Friday," Shakib said. "I will only play two matches in the IPL so the Pakistan series will be on my mind. If I do well in the two matches, that confidence will work in my favour.
"I think we should be starting as favourites to win the ODI series against Pakistan. I think this is our best chance to win against Pakistan. Everyone in the team believes so, too. We have proved that we can beat any team at home. If we play our best cricket, we can do well against any side. We beat New Zealand seven times, and they are the World Cup runners-up."
The team’s future suddenly looks bright but Shakib knows that Bangladesh needs to progress faster considering the rules made by the ICC to qualify for the World Cup 2019 in England. "It is a very important year for us since it will be a 10-team World Cup next time. We need to go up the rankings," he said. "If we can win against higher-ranked sides, we will get more points.
"Ultimately we have to stay within the top eight to play in the World Cup. We have been around No 9 and 10 for a long time. We got up to No 8 for a brief period, but now we have to get to that level and stay there."
Shakib is extremely satisfied with Bangladesh’s World Cup outing, even though he believes that the side needs to improve tremendously. He specifically mentioned youngsters such as Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rehman, who contributed with vital 40s and 50s and Rehman also picked a few wickets.
"There is no end to performing better. I think I did well in the World Cup. If I could have ended the tournament like I had started, it obviously would have been better," Shakib said. "Still, I don't think I should be disappointed about the numbers next to my name in this World Cup.
"I thought the new players did well. The team performed, which is the most important thing. Soumya, Sabbir and Taskin played well. The senior players were also up to the mark. The team is in good shape. The young players have to perform, not to be taught."
Bangladesh favourites against Pakistan: Shakib - starsports.com
Bangladesh are highly resurgent after a fairly successful World Cup campaign, having unexpectedly made it to the quarterfinals by knocking England out, before they lost to India. Even though Bangladesh have only beaten Pakistan once in ODI cricket so far, that too way back in the 1999 World Cup, Shakib believes that their home record is something they can take confidence from. "I will start training from Friday," Shakib said. "I will only play two matches in the IPL so the Pakistan series will be on my mind. If I do well in the two matches, that confidence will work in my favour.
"I think we should be starting as favourites to win the ODI series against Pakistan. I think this is our best chance to win against Pakistan. Everyone in the team believes so, too. We have proved that we can beat any team at home. If we play our best cricket, we can do well against any side. We beat New Zealand seven times, and they are the World Cup runners-up."
The team’s future suddenly looks bright but Shakib knows that Bangladesh needs to progress faster considering the rules made by the ICC to qualify for the World Cup 2019 in England. "It is a very important year for us since it will be a 10-team World Cup next time. We need to go up the rankings," he said. "If we can win against higher-ranked sides, we will get more points.
"Ultimately we have to stay within the top eight to play in the World Cup. We have been around No 9 and 10 for a long time. We got up to No 8 for a brief period, but now we have to get to that level and stay there."
Shakib is extremely satisfied with Bangladesh’s World Cup outing, even though he believes that the side needs to improve tremendously. He specifically mentioned youngsters such as Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rehman, who contributed with vital 40s and 50s and Rehman also picked a few wickets.
"There is no end to performing better. I think I did well in the World Cup. If I could have ended the tournament like I had started, it obviously would have been better," Shakib said. "Still, I don't think I should be disappointed about the numbers next to my name in this World Cup.
"I thought the new players did well. The team performed, which is the most important thing. Soumya, Sabbir and Taskin played well. The senior players were also up to the mark. The team is in good shape. The young players have to perform, not to be taught."
Bangladesh favourites against Pakistan: Shakib - starsports.com
