DHAKA: For more than a decade till recently, Bangladesh were looked at as the young kids who had wandered into an adult conversation and were thus told to sit tight until called for by the top eight Test nations. While their long-form cricket is still work in progress, when they swap their whites for the green-and-red jerseys of One-Day Internationals, Bangladesh have been a transformed side, able to not just compete with, but beat the best.
Several youngsters have helped make that transition, but the lynchpin remains Shakib Al Hasan, the greatest cricketer to don Bangladesh colours. After the team’s historic 2-1 series win against India, Shakib took time off to speak to Wisden India about the victory, the struggles that preceded it, the IPL’s effect and future goals. Edited excerpts:
Where do you rank the ODI series win amongst Bangladesh’s greatest moments?
Obviously one of the best. I would say, qualifying for the next stage in two World Cups (2007 and 2015) was the best, and right after that will be the series wins against India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Did you think before the series started that Bangladesh would have a realistic chance of a 3-0 margin?
Not really. But we had that positive mindset in our group, in our dressing room. The way we are playing, especially in ODIs at home, we can beat any side on our day. And I think we showed the world and ourselves how much of an improved side we are now in ODIs. Yes, we didn’t do well in the last game, but still there was a stage where if we had batted sensibly – which we didn’t do – we could have maybe won it. That’s where we lost the game I think. But overall, it was a great series, and we’re now looking forward to facing South Africa.
Do you think there are no favorites for the series against South Africa now, given Bangladesh’s performance?
No, I still believe South Africa are the favorites because they have a better bowling attack. It will be an even contest, but we need to adjust our plans. We attacked against India with four seamers, but against South Africa, I think it might be the opposite. You never know, we might end up playing with four seamers as well, but we may change our plans. It will depend on the coach and captain of course, and what they think will be good for the team.
Bangladesh haven’t had as much success in Test matches though. What are the reasons?
Well obviously, to win a Test match you need to take 20 wickets, and the pitches we prepare at home are mostly flat, where batsmen can score runs. So it is difficult for us to take 20 wickets. If we can produce some quality bowlers who can pick up five or six wickets in an innings in any conditions, then it will be a different ballgame. But till then, we need support from the surface to get 20 wickets, and that’s where we are struggling most. If you look at our batting, we have mostly batted well and consistently, though I agree there have been one or two occasions in the last two years when we failed. So there are some improvements and at the same time, some areas we need to work on.
Why aren’t some of the talented Bangladesh bowlers not making the transition to Test cricket, men such as Taskin Ahmed?
Well, you should ask the selectors that, because I don’t know. What I know from outside is they are not fit to bowl 20 or 30 overs a day and play five days of Test cricket. That’s what some say, but I personally don’t know how fit, or unfit, they are to play Test matches.
How has your IPL experience been with Kolkata Knight Riders?
It’s been a terrific journey. It feels like I’m at home every time I go to Kolkata now. It’s been great to be able to share the dressing room with all those great players. Playing in that atmosphere with the pressure there is and to be able to perform there is a great feeling. I’ve been with Kolkata for the last four or five years and I hope I can continue with them as long as I can.
What have you learned from IPL that you have imparted in the Bangladesh dressing room?
The quality of players we have and the international players – there isn’t that much difference in quality. We just need to believe in ourselves more. When someone in Bangladesh plays with me, and perhaps scores more than me, they will now believe that, ‘We are playing with him, so why can’t we put up the same performances that he is putting there?’ That belief is growing. In our group there are four or five guys who can definitely do it. And not just after this series, every year if anyone asks me, I tell them we have four-five guys who will perform, if not better, then at least on the same level as the other international players in the IPL. I wouldn’t like to name them, but we have plenty of guys who can do it. Some have been doing well for a few years now, and some newcomers are also capable of doing well.
It was a big challenge for Bangladesh to get that self-belief, and now we have got it in the ODI team. This is the mindset change that has come and the great thing about this team now, which we believe we can compete with the great players who are playing in world cricket.
Do you think Bangladesh have had to fight harder to get recognition?
Yes. We have. Obviously, you need your opportunity, because if you don’t get it, you can’t do anything. We’ll get one or two chances (on the international stage) where most other guys would have got three or four. So you need to perform under that pressure. If you perform at that stage, you have no problem, but if you don’t, then you have to struggle.
If you don’t play enough matches, it’s difficult to show that you have the ability to perform.
How difficult has that struggle been?
I don’t know how to describe this. It’s not that we don’t play cricket, we have been playing consistently. Yes, there are some ups and downs and people don’t look at us as a big cricketing nation. There is a reason behind it, because we weren’t consistent enough. Now we are playing very consistently against the big teams, so now people have started recognizing us. That is the only thing we can do, keep performing the way we are. Then people will automatically recognize us.
Bangladesh fans are very passionate. Does it make it difficult to live up to expectations then, especially if you are not getting enough chances at the international level?
Not really. I don’t think on those lines. As a newcomer amongst cricketing nations, you need to struggle. There are some other teams who are struggling more than us. We can call ourselves lucky even, that we have been playing so much cricket nowadays, and we are fortunate enough to get those chances. And we have been showing the cricketing world that, ‘Yes we can perform.’ Teams like Ireland or Scotland, they don’t even get chances to play against big teams.
What do you see your role in the team now? More mentoring or still a free-spirited player?
We all do play with freedom. We try to play according to the situation, but there is no pressure that you have to play a holding role, or you can’t play your natural game. Everyone can go and enjoy themselves, back themselves and play their shots. The coach has given us that freedom, that ‘If you are capable of hitting the ball and want to hit your first ball for six, go and do it.’ We don’t have any pressure. That is one very good area of improvement for us, we no longer have that fear of getting out.
You have been Bangladesh captain. Subcontinent captains face quite a bit of pressure and there was a fair bit on MS Dhoni in this series. What did you make of his captaincy as an opponent?
The things he has achieved, I don’t think any captain in our generation should make any comments about him. If you win, you give credit to the captain, and if you lose, you say you are losing everything because of the captain. That’s not how it works. People think on those lines sometimes, but I don’t think that is the right way. I think anywhere in the world, there is pressure on captains, not just in the subcontinent. The first person to blame is the captain, and the next is the coach. But whoever has played cricket, for the national team or any team, they know what it feels like to be in that situation.
What are your goals personally and for Bangladesh in Tests and ODIs?
I think whatever we are doing, we are doing fine. We need to continue improving our game. I don’t really have a goal, rankings wise, but if we play the way we are, within two years, there is no reason we can’t be in the top five in ODIs. And if we can produce two or three bowlers who can take five or six wickets in each innings, regardless of the conditions, then you never know, we might come up to be the sixth or seventh rank in Test cricket too. Personal goals, I don’t think about too much. It’s more about contributing for the team.
Source: Wisden India
BDST: 1651 HRS, JUN 27, 2015
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