After several disappointing outings in the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh are in USA for the ninth edition in West Indies and USA, where skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto hopes to do better. Before leaving the country, the Bangladesh captain spoke to 抖阴精品鈥檚 Azad Majumder. Here are the excerpts:
抖阴精品: This will be your first World Cup as the captain. How are you feeling?
Najmul Hossain Shanto: For me, it鈥檚 inspiring, it鈥檚 an opportunity. It is a great achievement as every cricketer dreams of representing the country. That opportunity has come to me. More than that, I am going to represent the country in a place like the World Cup. So, there will be challenges, but I think it will inspire me a lot, and it is a big opportunity for me. It鈥檚 all a challenge 鈥� to take care of the whole team, take care of all aspects, and perform. All in all, the whole thing is a challenge. I am focusing more on what I said a little earlier, it is an opportunity for me to do something good for the team and for the country.
抖阴精品: Bangladesh have not done well in the past editions of the T20 World Cup. Are you expecting a different outcome this time around?
Shanto: I think in the last one-and-a-half years, we have been playing well in T20s. We have won a few series and we have won against big teams, so the condition or the confidence of the team is in a good place. But in the World Cup, I would say that you have to play matches with different teams, it鈥檚 not a bilateral series. So, of course, it鈥檚 challenging for every player. For me, it means that with the strength that we have or the matches we have played recently - if we can reproduce that in the World Cup, make the right decisions, can execute our plans, then it is possible to do something good in this World Cup.
抖阴精品: This World Cup marks the end of an era in Bangladesh cricket as it will be the last World Cup with any of the big five. How do you see Bangladesh rebuild from there?
Shanto: I think the rebuilding has already started. Tamim [Iqbal] Bhai and Mushfiqur [Rahim] Bhai have retired. Mashrafe [Bin Mortaza] Bhai is no longer playing. Shakib [Al Hasan] Bhai and [Mahmudullah] Riyad Bhai are there. Of course, I want them to play in the World Cup, giving their best. It is their decision when they will end their careers.聽 As a captain, I would like them to share their experience with every player. And at the same time give their performance and some feedback, because as a senior player, when they have been playing for so many years, in so many World Cups, they have more experience.聽 That鈥檚 what we want, that they will play to the best of their ability. What happens after the World Cup is their decision. I鈥檓 not too worried about it.
抖阴精品: Do you feel that the spin department will be one of Bangladesh鈥檚 weaknesses in the World Cup?
Shanto: I don鈥檛 consider it our weakness. With the spinners we have, I think we are capable of doing well against any team. In our spin attack, Shak Mahedi [Hasan] is doing really well. We needed a leg-spinner and I am happy with the way Rishad [Hossain] is bowling, Shakib bhai is there. So we have a very good combination; we have two finger spinners, one left-handed and one right-handed, and along with them we have a wrist spinner, so the mix is good. If they can perform, I don鈥檛 think we will struggle with it.
抖阴精品: What do you make of your pace bowling department?
Shanto: It鈥檚 really good. As a player and as a captain, it is pleasing to me. It gives me options. Every bowler is trying to do something good for the team and they are doing it. In the past, we used to rely too much on spin. It鈥檚 not the case now. Our pace bowlers are winning us matches, and doing well. It鈥檚 a good sign for the team.
抖阴精品: A big worry for Bangladesh has been the strike rate of their batters and the team鈥檚 ability to score big. How do you think this problem can be solved?
Shanto: First of all, we have to play on good wickets. Some people can take it as an excuse but it is a fact that we play very few matches on good wickets. Recently, we have started playing on good surfaces. If you see the last Sri Lanka series, we played on very good wickets and the batters got runs. In the lower-middle order, Riyad bhai and Jaker played good innings.
At the top, Soumya and Tamim gave us a good start in the Zimbabwe series. If we continue to play on good wickets, it will improve. It is difficult to change things in six months. If we continue on good wickets for a year or two, then these strike rates will improve. If you see the Zimbabwe series, we did not play on good wickets. We expected it, but somehow, maybe due to the heat, we didn鈥檛. It鈥檚 not the fault of the groundsmen. It was also raining, that鈥檚 why the wicket was not that well prepared. Looking at it from a distance, it might look like we are giving an excuse but it鈥檚 not like that. In the fourth match, we had a 100-run partnership but later we could score 140 and then, we defended those runs, which means the wicket was not that good. Maybe if we had played a bit better, it would have been 160 or 165. So, it is important that we play on good wickets for a long period.
抖阴精品: Bangladesh prepared for the World Cup by playing Australia and New Zealand in 2021 but that did not result in good performances at the tournament. This time, you took on Zimbabwe. Do you think this will be enough preparation for you to perform at the World Cup?
Shanto: Of course, winning helps to build confidence. This is the first thing. The second thing is that winning against the likes of Australia or New Zealand gives you more pleasure. In this [Zimbabwe] series, we are not using our full strength at the same time. Every day, you will see one or two changes; we are doing that experiment. We are trying to play with our strength, without focusing much on the opponents. We are trying different combinations and preparing that way. I don鈥檛 think winning or losing against big or small teams affects World Cup preparations.
抖阴精品: In recent months, the rivalry between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has taken a new turn. You will face the Lankans in your first match. Does that add any incentive for you and the team?
Shanto: We have already moved on. From the day the incident happened, we did not do anything that would make us think about it. I can鈥檛 say much about them. But as a team, we are focusing on our own game. We will try to execute our plan. The rest 鈥� I mean the outcome, I hope everyone will accept. What happened in the past or our relationship with them 鈥� we are not worried about those.
抖阴精品: This is likely to be Shakib鈥檚 last World Cup in any format. Are you expecting anything special from him?
Shanto: I don鈥檛 expect anything extra from him. I want the 15 players in the World Cup to all perform. The only thing I will expect extra from Shakib Bhai is that he shares his experience with the team while making different kinds of decisions, such as what should be done during tough periods because he has that experience. But on top of that, if he can give his best in batting and bowling, that will benefit the team further. That is what I want from him.