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Bangladesh‘s preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024 got off to a rocky start as they fell 0-2 behind to USA in the three-match T20I series, with one game remaining. Following a disappointing 5-wicket loss in the first match, the Bengal Tigers suffered another setback, losing the second match by 6 runs on Thursday in Prairie View.
Opting to bowl first, Bangladesh performed well, restricting USA to 144 runs in their allotted 20 overs. However, the visitors stumbled early in the chase, losing both their openers during the powerplay. With solid contributions from the middle-order batters, Bangladesh appeared to be on course for victory. Yet, in the final overs, their batting lineup collapsed dramatically, losing 5 wickets in the last 5 overs and eventually getting all out for 138 runs in 19.3 overs.
Shakib Al Hasan expresses disappointment with the series loss
During the post-match presentation, Bangladesh’s renowned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan expressed disappointment over losing the series to USA just ahead of the global tournament. He acknowledged that the defeat was unexpected and emphasized that it would serve as a wake-up call for the team moving forward. Shakib also commended the performance of the USA players during the game.
“Certainly it is disappointing and we didn’t expect it but we must give credit to the US team for the way they have played. I think no one expected that we will lose two games. Any match you lose as a team is disappointing and you don’t want to lose a game and obviously it is very disappointing. But having said that we have to play the World Cup and this series might be a wake-up call for us as we haven’t played the way we want to play,” Shakib said in the post-match presentation as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Shakib gives his opinion on taking USA lightly
After a humiliating defeat in the series, fans accused the team of being overconfident and underestimating the potential of USA. Addressing these allegations, the former Bangladesh skipper clarified that they did not underestimate USA and emphasized that in T20 cricket, there’s no such thing as a weak or strong team. Shakib later pointed out that his team faltered in executing the plans that should have been implemented on the field during the game.
“There are no small or big teams in T20 cricket and that’s why it is more exciting than any other format. And the proof of that is in the last two games the way US played. I don’t think we took them lightly. In the first game maybe, we couldn’t do what we wanted to do and in the second game exactly the same thing happened – we couldn’t execute the plans that we were supposed to do on the ground,” the 37-year-old stated.
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Shakib complains about facilities being provided to the Bangladesh team
The Magura-born-cricketer expressed dissatisfaction with the facilities at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, stating that rain and limited practice time had hindered their preparations. Shakib stressed the need for additional practice sessions, which they ultimately could not secure. He also advocated for improved facilities to aid in their preparation for upcoming fixtures and the ICC tournament. Shakib highlighted that his team only had one proper net session for practice and suggested that the situation could have been improved.
“If we take this as a preparation series for the World Cup, in that case we should have a lot more batting and bowling sessions and there should have been more facilities that we didn’t get at all. I feel we had a proper net session for one day and even on that day the batsmen could not had required the batting session. And there was an optional day and the batsmen did not seize the opportunity,” Shakib remarked.
“For one day there was rain and we could not do anything on that day, while there are four grounds but we could train on only three pitches which I don’t think is ideal. And I think these things could have been better,” he concluded.
