Tigers await Shakib as Sohan seeks positives
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Pakistan captain Babar Azam came to the captains' meet yesterday for a photo session ahead of the tri-nation series to be played between hosts New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, but the duo was accompanied by Tigers vice-captain Nurul Hasan Sohan.
Bangladesh T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan had also missed the captains' meet ahead of the Bangladesh Premier League final in 2022, with Sohan incidentally filling in on that occasion as well. Prior to that, the premier all-rounder was absent from Bangladesh's team photo ahead of their departure for England for the 2019 World Cup.
This time it is Williamson and Babar that were left hanging.
It had been reported that Shakib was expected to reach New Zealand on October 6, but yesterday the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wanted to clarify why the skipper would reach just a day ahead of the Tigers' first match against Pakistan on October 7 at Christchurch.
The BCB stated that Shakib was set to join the side on October 4, but 'complicacies with the visa procedure' rendered the skipper unable to board his flight from Los Angeles Airport on October 2.
"The designated airlines resolved the issue and rebooked him on the next available flight from LA on 4 October, which he has taken to reach New Zealand," the BCB statement added.
While the delay was forced, the absence of the skipper ahead of a key series that is part of the build-up to this month's T20 World Cup raises questions about the team's environment, especially with the team struggling in the shortest format.
Shakib played his last CPL game for Guyana Amazon Warriors on September 28, a knockout qualifier that saw the Warriors lose and crash out of the tournament.
With Shakib delayed, Nurul spoke about the need to adjust to the weather and play as a unit instead of focusing on individual performances.
"The team atmosphere is very good and the message that is being communicated is that we should not worry about the results but instead follow our process. If we work honestly and play as a team, if we can play without focusing on individual performances and instead put the team first, then we can play our roles according to the situation. All eleven players will not perform on the same day. We are focusing on these aspects," Nurul said in a video message to the media.
Pakistan whitewashed the Tigers 3-0 in T20Is in Mirpur last year and have over a win-rate of over 86 per cent against Bangladesh in the shortest format.
Nurul said they wanted to take positives from this series heading to the World Cup.
"Before going to Australia we will be playing a few matches in these conditions and that too against teams like New Zealand and Pakistan. This will certainly be a boost in the World Cup. If we can take positives from this series in the World Cup, we can expect something good," he concluded as the Tigers await their skipper today.