ICC Champions Trophy
Sakib plays cool
Bishwajit Roy from Chandigarh
It is too early to say that Sakib Al Hasan has come to rule the middle order for a long time for the Tigers but his undefeated 67-run knock against inform Sri Lanka made many believe that the youngster has the potential to do so.The Magura lad is now only 19-year old but his mental strength already has not only impressed the team think-tank but also his teammates, like out-of-form Mohammad Ashraful, who praised the young man's toughness. When he made an impressive debut during the recently concluded Africa tour, many including skipper Habibul Bashar had said that they were looking forward to how the young left-hander responded against the big names. Sakib, however did not frustrate them at all and successfully overcame his first real test against biggies Sri Lanka. The way the left-hander tackled the formidable Lankan attack coming at number four with the scoreboard reading 55-2 and showed his temperament to carry the innings was simply fantastic. The young guy also said that temperament is key in his batting but he was not satisfied with his technique. "I think temperament is the key in my batting but I have to improve my technique if I want to become a good middle order batsman. Actually my main target is to become a good all-rounder that's why I give importance to both batting and fielding," said a soft-spoken Sakib, who is also a useful left-arm spinner though he conceded 23 runs in two overs on Saturday's match. "I was a little bit nervous because there was a big difference between Sri Lanka and the opponents of my first few matches. But after a few overs I got back my confidence. I had hope that we could win this match if we had some wickets in hand in the last few overs," said Sakib, who was spotted in a BKSP talent search programme at Narail and the showed his potential at different age levels. The rookie said that he wants to play innings for team victory rather than for personal records. "I like Rahul Dravid's batting because most of his innings play vital role in the team's victory. Actually I want to be a match winner," he explained. Sakib said that he has yet to set any target because it is too early. "Now I only think about match by match. I believe that every match is important for me to cement my place in the team. Still I have to go a long way," said the cool customer, who is a fan of romantic Hindi oldies.
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