Shakib Al Hasan mentally not prepared to captain Bangladesh in Tests and T20s

Shakib Al Hasan has been the backbone of Bangladesh cricket for quite some time. Opponents are wary of him and breathe a sigh of relief when the all-rounder isn’t playing. The southpaw turned up with 606 runs and 11 wickets in the World Cup. Despite his jaw-dropping show, the Tigers finished eighth on the table owing to inconsistent performances from his teammates.

Amidst all the happy run on the cricket field, Shakib has faced a lot in the backdrop because of a number of injuries. The situation seems to have taken a toll on him, so much so that the veteran doesn’t wish to lead the national team even in Tests and T20Is where he is the designated skipper.

Shakib, arguably Bangladesh’s greatest ever cricketer, isn’t mentally prepared to captain at the highest level. But he reckons that the team isn’t in great shape and is in dire need of his leadership. His next assignment as the skipper is in the one-off Test versus Afghanistan in Chattogram.

Shakib wants the youngsters to take responsibility

“I am not even mentally prepared to lead in Tests and T20s. But the team is not in a good shape, so I understand that I have to lead to get it back on track. Otherwise, I am not really interested in leading in any format. I can focus on myself if I am not captaining, which would help the team,” Shakib was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with Bengali daily Prothom Aalo.

Shakib iterated the fact that he along with Mushfiqur Rahim led the team for a young age and now wants the youngsters to step up. He understands the importance of focussing on the next four years, bearing in mind the World Test Championship and the T20 World Cup.

“I want to see the younger lot to take responsibility. We [Mushfiqur Rahim and he, in the main] got captaincy at a very young age, but they [the next bunch] have now turned 26-27. Unless you give them responsibility, you won’t know what they can do. The World Test Championship and T20 World Cup are up ahead, so we should plan for the next four years,” the Jessore-born added.

Even as Shakib remains as the T20 and Test skipper, there’s still doubt over who’ll lead the national team after Mashrafe Mortaza decides to hang his boots. The Tigers won’t be playing many ODIs in the next one year and the Russel Domingo-led management needs to ponder upon the same as well.

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