If we supported Shakib better, we could have made the WC semis: Tamim to Mash
Cricket fans and casuals alike were recipients of a rare treat on Monday night when Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal and his predecessor Mashrafe Bin Mortaza engaged in an hour-long, live video call on Facebook. Both national cricketers who most enjoy nighttime addas when the team is residing in hotels, gave fans a window into those sessions.
When the topic turned to Shakib Al Hasan, both cricketers could not hide their personal disappointment in failing to adequately support the champion all-rounder in the 2019 World Cup, when Shakib turned in the best all-round performance in the tournament's history.
"When Shakib wished to bat at number 3 [in the World Cup], I backed him fully because I knew he will make full impact from that position," Mashrafe, in relaxed mood in the home, told Tamim. "Ultimately, as a team could not utilise his impact. Maybe I didn't play well..."
"Bhai, in the event that you and I possibly could have played twenty five percent better, I think we would have been around in the semis," Tamim replied animatedly, to which Mashrafe nodded his agreement.
"Hundred percent," Mashrafe said.
Shakib's topic had appear when the former and current captains were discussing backing players and choosing their hunches. Shakib had wanted to bat at number three through the World Cup, even though many were unsure -- including Tamim who thought it could be a major blow if the team lost himself and Shakib early - then captain Mashrafe backed Shakib at number 3.
The result was that Shakib scored 606 runs with two hundreds and five fifties at an average of 86.57, while taking 11 wickets from eight matches. However, Mashrafe endured an awful time with the ball, picking right up just one wicket from eight matches, while Tamim could not continue the high standards of the previous four years, averaging 29.37 in eight matches with a solitary fifty.
"I am saying this due to our positions," Tamim, Bangladesh's star opener and highest ODI run-scorer, continued. "You have a knack when planning on taking early wickets and you could not do that on the globe Cup, which became a big problem.
"And for my part, I possibly could not build those big partnerships with Shakib coming in at number 3. If those ideas happened, I believe we'd have made the semifinals."
Bangladesh had finished eighth on the planet Cup in England last summer, despite starting positively by beating South Africa and by the mid stages were seen as genuine contenders for a last-four spot.
