Nidahas Trophy 2018: 'We have the momentum on our side', says Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh will be gearing up for the final clash of the Nidahas Trophy against India today. They’ve made the impossible possible in this tournament. First, they chased down a score over 200 against the Lankans. And in the final league game of the tournament, they again surprised the hosts after finishing off a high-intensity chase. With these two emphatic wins, they’ve made into the finals.

However, they lost both the games against India. But, Shakib Al Hasan, who made a comeback in the game against Sri Lanka seems to be confident ahead of the big game. Bangladesh will want to forget all the drama that took place in the last game and start afresh.

We are lucky to be on the winning side says Shakib Al Hasan

Although India is the favorite to win the tournament, Shakib said that the momentum is on their side. He hoped to continue the good form against India in the finals. “India are a very good side but we have the momentum, so hopefully we can continue the performance,” said Shakib.

Also, Shakib opened up about the semi-finals and said they were lucky to be on the winning side. He also credited Mahmudullah for his stupendous performance. He noted that this is one of the best innings he has seen in the last five overs. Also, he said that he wasn’t 100% before the game and added that it was important for him to rotate the strike.

“You can’t expect more than that in a T20 game. There was everything. Emotions, drama, everything. We are lucky to be on the winning side. Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera batted very well, got themselves into a winning position. I had only one hit before I came into the game, so I knew I wasn’t 100%. It was important to rotate the strike and give it to Mahmudullah. This is one of our best innings in the last five overs.”

Mahmudullah who played an amazing innings spoke about all the drama in the last over. “The confusion was that the ball (Mustafizur’s wicket ball) would be the first bumper (sic) of the over but it’s in the past now, so let’s forget it.” He said having Shakib back was a big boost. “When Shakib came into the team, that was a big boost. My plan was to strike the ball as hard as I can. To see the ball properly and try to hit accordingly. I was quite nervous (in the last few overs),” he added.