If someone thinks that I can change things in one day, we are living in fool’s kingdom: Shakib on Bangladesh’s T20 team

Bangladesh T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan said that he doesn’t expect an overnight transformation of the national T20 team. Earlier this week, the Magura-born Shakib was named as the Tigers’ T20I skipper until the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year.

Bangladesh are next scheduled to take part in the Asia Cup 2022 where they will face Afghanistan in their first match on Tuesday, August 30. Shakib replaced Mahmudullah as the skipper of the T20 team and is eyeing the T20 World Cup.

“I have no goals. My only aim is that we can do well in the World Cup and these are the preparations for it,” Shakib was quoted as saying to the reporters in Dhaka.

“If someone thinks that I can change things within one or two days or someone else will come to change it, then we are living in a fool’s kingdom. If you are able to think practically, our true development will be seen when the team really does well in the World Cup in three months’ time,” he stated.

Back in 2016, Bangladesh finished as the runner-up when the Asia Cup was last played in the T20 format. Shakib felt that the Tigers haven’t played their best cricket in T20Is over the last six years, but also believed that they can improve in the format by taking baby steps.

“See, we first played this type of version (format) in 2006. Since then, we have not had good results, except in the Asia Cup final. We are far behind in this version from that point, so we have no choice but to make a new start.

“When a baby starts walking [the first] steps are very difficult, but gradually things become easier and I hope that we will also be able to start walking step by step like a baby and then move forward,” Shakib added.

Bangladesh will go into the Asia Cup after losing to West Indies and Zimbabwe in the overseas T20I series. The Tigers lost four out of five completed games, while one match ended with no result.

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