Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo on Friday (November 1) admitted that Shakib Al Hasan’s wrongdoings affected a few players in the side and it will also affect the team’s performance in the upcoming India series starting on Sunday, November 3, in Delhi.
The Tigers will take on formidable India in the three-match T20 International series and two Tests without their charismatic all-rounder and Domingo admitted that they will miss his services but said his troops need to focus on their game as World Cup 2020 isn’t much far away.
Ahead of the first T20I against India on Sunday, Domingo admitted that the dressing room is still recovering from the shock, saying Shakib is paying the price for his wrongdoing. He was banned for two years from the game for not reporting corrupt approaches by the ICC earlier this week.
Read Also: Delhi's smog conditions not ideal, but no one will die, says Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo
Domingo told reporters in Delhi, “He has been a big player for Bangladesh and is close friends with a lot of players. So, it has obviously affected a few players. Obviously, he has made a mistake and he is paying the price for it. There’s not much we can control. Obviously, it affects the team’s performance but we need to be focused on the series and the World Cup (T20).”
Meanwhile, the current coach didn’t get a chance to work with Shakib as he took charge just a month back, but knows that there is huge respect for the world’s No.1 all-rounder in the dressing room.
He continued, “I haven’t had a chance to know him personally but players have great respect for him. But as I said, he has made a mistake and paid the price for it.”
On whether Shakib’s reintegration will happen after one year, the head coach said: “One year in cricketing terms is a long time and I haven’t thought about it. How Shakib will be integrated in the team has neither crossed my mind nor the players’ mind.”
Domingo also admitted that Bangladesh will miss Shakib’s dual skills, which brought him over 11,000 runs and over 500 wickets across three formats of the game, in India.
He explained, “He bats at No.3. Often, he opens the bowling, bowls first change, bowls four overs in every game, he is one of our leading batters. So, you need to decide whether you replace the batsman or do you replace the bowler, you can’t replace both as it is very difficult to get players who provide both skills. So, you might find yourself short in some department and strengthened in one department.”
Domingo signed off by saying, “It will depend on conditions. If the pitch is flat, we will have an extra bowler and if the pitch does a little, may be have an extra batsman. It is very difficult to fill Shakib’s shoes but those available should try their best to get those numbers.”
(With PTI Inputs)
