T20 series against Windies important before World Cup: Shakib
Despite the 2-0 defeat in the two-match Test series against West Indies, Bangladesh will be hoping to bounce back in the limited over formats with the three-match T20I series starting from July 2.
The upcoming three-match T20I series against the Caribbean is also expected to be the build-up for Bangladesh ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled Lin October this year in Australia.
The Tigers' Test captain Shakib Al Hasan believes that the three-match T20I series against the Windies will be important for the Tigers, keeping the upcoming mega event in mind.
"We definitely have a lot of areas to improve but if we can play as a unit, it is possible to win the T20 series (against West Indies). If you keep the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind this series is very important as we will play the Asia Cup next before going on to the World Cup. So from that point of view, this series is very important for us," Shakib told the media after the ten-wicket defeat over West Indies in the second and final Test in Saint Lucia on Monday.
Bangladesh had a horrible outing in the previous T20 World Cup in Oman and the UAE last year where the Tigers lost to Scotland in the qualifier stage and were unable to win a single game in the Super ten stage.
The star all-rounder informed that it will be a big challenge for the Tigers as they will face stiff competition in the coming few series ahead of the mega event.
"The reward will be similar as its a big challenge to play against a competitive team like West Indies and if we can play well it will help us immensely to do well in the Asia Cup keeping the mentality and the confidence in mind. We all know that the Asia Cup will be tough where India, Pakistan and even Afghanistan are a very good side. Sri Lanka are also playing consistent cricket in recent times," said Shakib.
The first of the three-match T20I series against West Indies will begin on July 2 while the second and third match of the series is scheduled on July 3 and 7 respectively.