Bangladesh’s new ODI captain, Shakib Al Hasan, stressed that the team is focused on the immediate task, the Asia Cup, and is not seen as direct preparation for the upcoming ODI World Cup. This strategy is intended to maintain a focused and step-by-step strategy to ensure the team’s best performance in each tournament.
Shakib, who took over as ODI captain after Tamim Iqbal stepped down recently, faced the media for the first time with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and both insisted that, at the moment, they are only thinking about reaching the Asia Cup Super Fours, reports Live Cricket Score.
“The World Cup and Asia Cup are two different competitions, so you cannot compare them. The Asia Cup is absolutely crucial because if we perform well and grow as a team there, we stand a strong chance of doing well at the World Cup. But it’s not like if we do poorly in Asia Cup, it means we have no chance in the World Cup, or if we do well, it means our chances in the World Cup will improve significantly,” Shakib told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
“The Asia Cup has now become the cornerstone of the overall strategy, and the team and preparation are in line with this. The World Cup will start at that point, and we’ll think about it once we finish the Asia Cup. We are just currently focused on the Asia Cup, specifically the game between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan,” he clarified.
