'I just don't like to get out'
The manner in which Zakir Hasan anchored Bangladesh out of a storm during the ICC Under-19 World Cup quarterfinal against Nepal showed plenty of courage.
Bangladesh were four down for 98 and were in troubled waters. That is when Zakir entered the picture and with his delightful cuts through point and third-man brought the hosts to back a steady position.
Following Bangladesh's training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, Zakir spoke to reporters about how he planned that innings and the way he approaches the game.
And almost immediately one could notice the similarities between his batting approach and the way he spoke. For an 18-year-old, Zakir displayed quite a cool head.
“I just don't like to get out. Whenever I am there sitting on the bench, I tell myself, I will have to stay at the wicket till the end if I get a chance. And I have always played this way. I can't play shots immediately after going to the crease. I need to get set first,” said Zakir.
“When I got to the crease [versus Nepal], I first told myself that we needed to reach 150 first and then do whatever the situation required. The field was really big. One could easily pick up four to five runs in every over. We didn't need to go for big hits. And there wasn't any risk with this because their [Nepal's] throwing arms weren't that strong. So we managed to pick up two runs quite easily,” said Zakir.
But with lucrative T20 tournaments taking place throughout the world, would a patient approach hold value? Zakir seemed not to care about the issue.
“I am really not thinking about T20, IPL or BPL. At the moment I have reached this far and I am sure the longer I play the more shots I will learn. I have to practise and develop my skills a lot more,” said Zakir.
With such a clear thought process, it's not a surprise that he has got two very skilled tacticians as his idols.
“My keeping hero is Kumar Sangakkara and my favourite batsman is Shourab bhai (Mominul Haque). I love his attitude and the way he plays,” he remarked.
Bangladesh's semifinal opponents will be finalised today after the quarterfinal match between West Indies and Pakistan. The hosts will take on the winners on February 11.
When asked as to who he preferred to meet, Zakir provided a straightforward reply: “Obviously I'll be happy if we meet the West Indies. We have beaten them thrice before the World Cup.”
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