"We will be a dangerous side in the World Cup: Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan
Sep 15, 2023
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 16 : Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan feels that the Tigers will be a "dangerous side" for the upcoming ODI World Cup after they ended their Asia Cup campaign with a remarkable 6-run victory over India at the R Premadasa Stadium.
India walked in as the only team who managed to remain unbeaten throughout the competition. Shubman Gill's 121 and Axar Patel's valiant 42 almost took the entire game away from Bangladesh.
But the Tigers dug deep to clinch an exceptional victory and end their tournament on a high note.
Shakib played a crucial hand in Bangladesh's victory and after the match, he sent a strong message to other teams, "I think we will be a dangerous side in the World Cup."
He further went on to reflect on his performance and other players who played a crucial role in keeping the momentum in their favour.
"Yes, we gave the guys a chance who haven't played much. After the last couple of games here, we thought spinners will do well. Today, I went early and had time to spend on the crease. It was a challenging wicket. It was seaming a bit and it got easier when the ball got older. (On Mahedi Hasan) It wasn't an easy time to bowl, he came to bowl and got us the breakthrough. He also bowled five overs at the end which is not easy for a spinner. Also, Tanzim bowled well at the start and took two wickets. We have got a very good team. A lot of players injured and some going in and out, that didn't help us," Shakib said.
Coming to the match, Gill played a thunderous knock of 121 off 133 while Axar scored a vital 42 off 34 deliveries. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman bagged three while Tanzim Hasan Sakib scalped 2 wickets.
Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy shone brightly, both scoring remarkable half-centuries, while the Bangladesh pacers demonstrated their mettle with great precision in their deliveries to successfully defend the total of 265.
