Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad said that he is ‘certain’ that premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who has been struggling for form recently, will turn up with a better performance in the final ODI against Sri Lanka in Mirpur tomorrow.
Shakib has had an abysmal IPL campaign before the league was suspended midway due to escalation in Covid cases in India earlier this month. Shakib, who scored 3, 9 and a steady 26 and scalped a total of just two wickets, was dropped from his IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders after three matches.
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The premier all-rounder is now with the Bangladesh team but is yet to shrug off the lean patch. The number 1 ODI all-rounder is the only player from the senior quartet of Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah who has not yet scored a fifty-plus score in the Tigers’ ongoing series against the Lankans.
However, Mahmudullah had complete belief in his teammate that he would fare better in tomorrow’s game.
“There is not much to say about Shakib. He knows his game. It is no joke that a guy has been the number one [ODI] all-rounder for the last 10-12 years. He knows when to bat and how much batting [practice] will benefit him. He got a good start in the first ODI, but unfortunately, he could not cash in on it. But I am certain that he will play better in tomorrow’s game,” said Mahmudullah after today’s practice session in Mirpur.
Shakib, who has been reinstated in his old number three position in batting, scored a slow-paced 15 in the first ODI before scoring a three-ball naught in the second ODI. But despite Shakib’s poor showing with the bat, Bangladesh clinched their first-ever bilateral series against the Lankans with convincing victories in both ODIs.
And although the final game is a dead-rubber, Mahmudullah remained adamant about winning it and completing their first-ever series sweep against the visitors.
“Every match is important as each match would now account for points that would help us qualify for the [2023 ODI] World Cup. Now we have another chance to grab ten points more, so why not?” added Mahmudullah.
Following their 2-0 series win, Bangladesh are now at the summit of the ICC ODI Super League — the qualification pathway for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India — with 50 points in eight matches.
