Veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan hopes for better pitches in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand in Dhaka in order to have good preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman later this year.
Recently, Bangladesh won the five-match T20I series against Australia at home recently, but all the games were low-scoring affairs and saw significantly supporting the spinners, but the pitches in the UAE and Oman for the T20 World Cup 2021 will likely be more temperate and batting friendly.
Well, Bangladesh is likely to prepare similar wickets for the T20I series against New Zealand to win the series in the build-up to T20 World Cup, but Shakib feels playing on true and sporting wickets would be better preparation for his team for the upcoming global tournament.
Speaking to Daily Samakal, Shakib said: “Wherever T20s are played, it is usually played on a good wicket. Maybe it would benefit us more (preparation-wise for ICCWT20) if we could play in a better wicket against New Zealand. It is up to the team management to decide on what type of wicket they want to play before going there. Whatever it is, we have to adapt. Since the game is in our country, there is no chance to make excuses.”
The all-rounder said he is comfortable at number three but is ready to bat at any position for Bangladesh in the T20 WC in the UAE and Oman. He is currently in the USA and is expected to join his Bangladesh teammates by September 1 for the New Zealand series and then fly to the UAE for the IPL.
He said: “Naturally I will try to go into the T20 WC in good shape and that had always been the case but I don't think there are too many problems in batting. I feel playing one or two big innings will bring me back into my groove. There was no scope to score big against Australia due to the nature of the wicket and so it would not be wise to count those five matches. There were opportunities in Zimbabwe that I could not take. If there is a 'better wicket' in the New Zealand series then I will try to play big innings.”
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On participating in the remainder of the IPL 2021 in the UAE next month, Shakib said: “Yes, there will be that possibility (of preparing at the IPL) but now I have to see how many matches I can play and that’s the challenge.”
He signed off by saying, “If I play a match, there will be one kind of preparation and if you don't play the match, there will be another kind of preparation. If you play regularly, it will be a kind of preparation and if I don't play, then I have to take that preparation through training.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
