Following a brief and contentious trip to Bangladesh for practice with his childhood coach, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is poised to rejoin the national team in Kolkata, India, ahead of their ICC World Cup clash against the Netherlands on Saturday.
Shakib engaged in an intense batting session with his childhood coach, Nazmul Abedin Faheem, today at the Mirpur indoor facilities. However, he did not face the media awaiting him in Mirpur.
The Bangladesh team held a practice session on Thursday at the Eden Gardens, where they played their last and only ODI over three decades ago, despite the venue being one of the closest international grounds for Bangladesh.
Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Shakib leaves team in India for personal practice sessions in Dhaka
Shakib’s sudden decision to return to Dhaka from Kolkata for practice with his coach raised many eyebrows in Bangladesh’s cricket community. It remains unclear why he made such a surprising move when Bangladesh already boasts one of the largest coaching staffs in the World Cup.
The intense batting session with Faheem was meant to work on retaining a more compact shape while batting. This is after twice in the World Cup so far, he was dismissed trying to pull short balls, usually his forte.
It’s evident that Shakib is going through a rough patch. He has only secured six wickets in the four matches he played in this World Cup, and his batting performance yielded just 56 runs—falling below expectations for an all-rounder of Shakib's caliber, particularly on Indian soil, where he has been playing for many years. This fact might have played the main role behind Shakib’s need for his childhood coach.
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Alongside Shakib, Bangladesh is also facing a dull period on the field. Out of the five matches they've played so far, they've lost four, making their path to the next phase of the World Cup challenging.
Bangladesh will play their next two matches in Kolkata, where they are expected to have large support in the gallery. People in Kolkata, most of whom also speak Bengali and share Bengali values like the Bangladeshis, and many of them have roots in Bangladesh, are expected to cheer for Bangladesh in this challenging period for the team.
Bangladesh will face the Netherlands on October 28, followed by a match against Pakistan. Despite entering the event as one of the strongest teams in ODIs, Pakistan is also struggling in the World Cup.
The next two encounters are pivotal for Bangladesh. Victories in these matches would give them a slim chance to remain in contention for the next phase of the World Cup. However, defeat would seal their fate, barring them from qualifying for the final four.