AB de Villiers motivates Shakib to bat at No.3 in World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan’s exceptional performance in 2019 World Cup was vastly inspired by a conversation with South African great AB de Villiers who actually gave him the theory to bat at No. 3 position.
Shakib ended the World Cup by stamping his own authority as he scored 606 runs and claimed 11 wickets, an archive that none could do in the cricket’s biggest extravaganza’s history.
His 606 runs, the 3rd highest tally on the planet Cup, came in No.3 position which isn't for him. Indeed the team management had reservation to allow him batting in No.3. Senior batsman Tamim Iqbal also tried to avoid him batting at No. 3, due to the fact Shakib needs to take the onus in middle order.
But Shakib was adament to bat at No.3 while he got the key support from captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, which eventually helped him to create the history.
Shakib revealed that your choice to bat at No. 3 came after the conversation with AB de Villiers during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
“Through the BPL game, prior to the World Cup, I was causally talking with de Villiers. He explained that he always batted at No. 4/5/6 but if he could bat at No. 3, he could contribute more for the team and may make more runs but for the sake of the team, he previously to bat at No.4/5/6,” Shakib told throughout a conversation with Deutsche Welle.
Shakib added that de Villiers also gave his own logic to bat at No. 3 which satisfied him fully.
“de Villiers said he scored 70/80, playing in middle order. Those runs sometimes worked well for the team and sometimes didn’t work. He said if he could bat at No. 3, he could score 100 /120. That doesn’t mean a hundred years could always win the team but a No.3 batsman could help the team in lots of ways. Suppose if a team losses two/three wickets early, the No.3 batsman could take the onus and in cases like this if he scores big runs, another batsmen won’t feel the pressure,” Shakib revealed.
Shakib however said his intention helped him thrive in the No.3 position amid the criticism.
“I really believe the intention plays a significant role in mentioning the success. If the intention is right, you can be successful,” he concluded.
