'You tell me what's wrong'
Bangladesh T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan rarely, if ever, reveals his true emotions even when his captaincy or his performance comes in for criticism, of which there has been plenty after the series loss against Afghanistan.
There has been a severe backlash after Shakib opted not to bowl Mahmudullah Riyad even after the part-time off-spinner took two wickets for one run in one over during the first T20I which the Tigers lost by 45 runs.
Yesterday, during a rest-day following their six-wicket loss on Tuesday that surrendered the series with one match to be played, even Mahmudullah backed the decision.
"I think Shakib's decision was right as you have to bowl the specialist bowlers in the death overs. Being an occasional bowler I did my job," he said.
Shakib opted to stay back at the hotel while few of the players like Mahmudllah, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz went for a walk around Dehradun.
Agreeing to a request for a chat, Shakib eventually appeared at the lobby and talked about many topics from his fascination of cars, his experience in the Indian Premier League and even about how he handles the criticism.
But whenever asked about the reason behind the series defeat, Shakib's smile seemed to be hiding more intense emotions. "What should I say? You tell me what went wrong?"
Generally, Shakib does not pay heed to social media which has been brutal against him recently, with people even trolling him with a twist on the latest viral song, 'Oporadhi', blaming him for the defeats and saying how he has changed as a player and as a person to the detriment of Bangladesh cricket.
Shakib keeps a low profile on his personal facebook account – with just 200 friends comprising close friends and family, he keeps the negativity at bay.
Rubel Hossain's over in the second T20I, when he surrendered the 20 runs in five balls that Afghanistan needed to win from the last 12, also came up.
A helpless expression made a brief appearance, but Shakib did well to keep it under wraps. "You should ask this question to Rubel, he should know the answer," he said with a sigh.
He then changed the topic and talked about how a coach can play a big role in boosting confidence and shared an example during an IPL playoff match when his side Sunrisers Hyderabad defended 17 runs from the last two overs with the bowlers bowling all the 12 balls in the blockhole.
At the end of a near 90-minute conversation, when asked about his hopes from the series, Shakib reverted to the captain who faces up to press conferences on a regular basis. "We still have a lot to prove and it is very important to avoid the whitewash to gain confidence," he said and walked towards the elevator.
On the way out of the hotel, Tamim Iqbal came into view and when asked about what went wrong, the left-hander said: "It was one over each in both games that changed the course of the matches. It's not that Rashid [Khan, Afghanistan's leg-spinner] is an unplayable bowler, but whenever you look to hit him, he is dangerous."
Comments