30 October - Kolkata - Bangladesh Captain Shakib Al Hasan pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
What is the target for the team and how have you overcome the losses?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Target is to play tomorrow's match and try to win, do our best and look for the two points that there are to take. So, we'll try our best to do that.
[Reporter:]
How you overcome the previous losses and how is the overall scenario of your dressing room?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Yeah, we discussed about it, we had our team meetings, so we sat down, we talked about it, how can we overcome the situation we are in now, but we have to show it in action. Talk is cheap when it's not working. So, we'll do it at the ground so the action can take care of it and everyone can see it.
[Reporter:]
Given the recent performance of your team and your opponent's team, what have you done in the last match and what they have done in the last match? How will you rate both teams? Do you think you are ahead of them in tomorrow's match?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I don't want to rate any team at this moment. We have a very important match tomorrow, which we want to win. Same thing I think goes with Pakistan as well. They want to win as well. So, the team that will play better, will win. We'll try our best to play better than Pakistan so that we can win the match.
[Reporter:]
Every Bangladeshi, they wanted you to perform. What about that? You had a practice with your childhood coach. What about that?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I want to perform as well.
[Reporter:]
How?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I am trying to find that out.
[Reporter:]
You sounded really, really down after the game against Holland. And you were struggling for answers and you said, this is as bad as it gets. In the two days between then and now?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
My voice changed? Different?
[Reporter continues:]
Yes, that's what I mean.
How have you looked back and how have you been able to lift?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I mean, only us, we can change the situation of the team with our action. So that's what we are trying to do.
[Reporter:]
This is a very special land for Bangladesh. This is the land for your freedom fighter. This is the first time Bangladesh will play against Pakistan in Bengal soil. What is your vision?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I mean, we're here to play the World Cup. Every match is as important as it gets. Tomorrow's match is no different to all other games that we have played or we will play in a few weeks' time. So, we'll take one game at a time. We don't think about anything else other than to be able to perform to the best of our ability for tomorrow's game and we want to do better than Pakistan so that we can win the match.
[Reporter:]
As Bangladesh is out of the race for the last four. So as a captain, what have you told your teammates to keep them motivated in such circumstances?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
I think more than me, the whole team talked about what we need to do. There is a lot to play for. As you know, we have to win to be able to qualify for the Champions Trophy. That's an important target I think we can set at this moment and to do that we have to win. We have no other options and that's what we would look to do.
[Reporter:]
You said yesterday also [the day before yesterday] that you want to be in the top 8 in the Champions Trophy, right? Yes, the day before yesterday. When did you find out about the qualification process for the Champions Cup, when did you get to know about it? If you had known about it later, how would that affect you?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Before the tournament started.
[Reporter:]
Before the tournament started. But you said that you wanted to play until the Champions Cup. Tamim also said the same thing. A couple of senior cricketers of the Bangladesh team also said that they wanted to play in the Champions Cup. Do you think about it now? If you can't play, what will happen?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
No, I didn't think about it.
[Reporter:]
If you were to choose one thing in this tournament that has let down your team, it would definitely be the batting. Many players have lost their form in the game. So, as you have started the preparation for playing in the Champions Trophy the next, it's not long ago, there's a big defeat you faced just two days ago. From this place to get back the forms of the batsmen, what thing can be worked as a tonic you think, or what things can help them return to their form?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
We have to motivate ourselves to return to the form. And only one can return to their form individually. In batting, or bowling whichever you say, even in fielding, although cricket is a team game, you have to perform individually. Only then the team can perform collectively. So it is our responsibility to motivate ourselves and how we can come back to the form. We can do that and we have to do it.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible] You said that you were underprepared. [inaudible] So, how can you play as an underprepared team?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Actually, you have asked such a question that I cannot do that discussion a lot now or I don't want to. If I want to do it, then we have to think more. Whether it would be good or bad if we had taken the risks or played. This is actually easy when we get a result. It's hard to say in advance. More or less everyone played except me. The players who were at rest also played matches in the end. And maybe those who had an injury didn't play. I think in the New Zealand series, everyone had played at least one match. So, those are actually very irrelevant now I think. We can discuss this in detail after the tournament. Right now, the focus is on the next match and we are trying to perform well.
[Reporter:]
I have two questions. First question, now it's time for the World Cup journey for Bangladesh, more or less it's progressing beyond the group stage is now over. Now to play in the Champions Trophy, is the goal for Bangladesh now to play in the Champions Trophy?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Yes, of course. The Champions Trophy is a goal, but how far we can go is also a goal. We couldn't do what we expected, but from here the remaining matches we have, if we can play well and get good results, we can come back with confidence and reflect on what we could have done better. So, from that point of view, we have three important matches. Tomorrow is an important match and we are trying to focus on that.
[Reporter:]
And, let's finish with this question. Last two days, after the Netherlands' game, what was the situation of your team in the dressing room?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Everyone felt bad that day naturally. But if you keep feeling bad, it won't work. We have to go forward and try to do that. And everyone has tried to do that. We all sat down and discussed together and we discussed individually. We have tried to do the way we feel is better for us.
[Reporter:]
You said after the last match that it would be difficult to turn around for a team before the Pakistan match. So, when you review the batting, do you focus more on dismissal when you do the review as a captain or coach with any batsman? Does the dismissal take up more time or is it his process or where he can improve individually?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Actually the situation is different for each individual. Maybe some people don't like to discuss that, maybe some like to discuss their process, some people like to discuss their technique. Some people like to discuss what was their mental state when they were batting and they try to find out how to get out of that. And one more thing that they try to do is when the batsman or bowler does well or bats well, what process they maintain and try to remind themselves. When a player doesn't perform well, he forgets that process. No matter how much we repeat it, he forgets it. Then we remind him, remind him in the nets, remind him on the pitch during the match, these are the things they do more or less.
[Reporter:]
I want to know one small thing. You played the match before on this ground. So, you must have had an idea about the spinners' ball or what happened under the lights. Is this the advantage of Bangladesh against Pakistan?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
At least we have a better idea. But I am sure that the people we are going to play with have seen the match. So, they will have a lot of ideas. Actually, you don't have to play the match to get an idea about the pitch. When you will see a match you will also get an idea. Yes, the game is played in different pitches every day, so the conditions can be different. So, when we played, we played on one pitch, and now we will play on another pitch, and maybe the conditions will be completely different. So, it is difficult to say that the experience of playing that game will be useful. But at least we will have an idea.
[Reporter:]
You have said many times that Bangladesh has never been able to do well in the World Cup or they didn't do well. What is the reason? You also have played five World Cups. Can't Bangladesh take the pressure after coming to the World Cup? Or is it that the ability that is required for this World Cup stage, is not there yet?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
Look, the focus is only on tomorrow's match. I feel this question is a bit irrelevant to me. The time to discuss this is the day after the World Cup of 2011 ended or the day after the World Cup of 2015 ended, the World Cup of 2019. Now when the World Cup of 2023 is over, we can discuss this then.
[Reporter:]
You have seen the wickets of the World Cup, which were batting-friendly. Our home wickets are similar to this, especially if we talk about Mirpur. As a captain and a senior player, have you said anything to your board or will you say anything that before coming to a World Cup or a big tournament, the preparation needs to be done in such a way? We know how the wickets are in such big events.
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
As I answered his question, the answer to this question would be similar. There is no need to discuss these things now. These discussions should be done when a series or tournament is over. When a long-term plan is being made, then we can discuss it. Now, we are discussing only about tomorrow's match.
[Reporter:]
Pakistan is coming after being defeated in a match and you are also going to play with them. The head coach of Pakistan has said that [inaudible], because Bangladesh plays in the IPL they will be familiar with the ground conditions of India. What do you think about that? They are ahead in terms of being familiar to these conditions.
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
It is difficult for us to say whether they are ahead in terms of being familiar. Because we have never played in the ODI series in India. So, it's difficult for us to say that those who have experience playing in the IPL would have an idea. Yes, our players like Mustafiz (Mustafizur Rahman) and Litton (Das) have played on this ground during the IPL. So, maybe they have an idea. But those who haven't played, they don't have an idea. So, I won't say that it will matter a lot. If their coach said something like this, that it’s an unfamiliar condition for both of them, may be because none of the teams have played here for the last 10-15 years. So, from that point of view, it is not a very familiar place for us, although we are from the nearby countries.
[Reporter:]
The Pakistan team is almost like the Bangladesh team, they lost consecutive four matches, and they are also in a bad patch. Can that be an advantage for the Bangladesh team? Can you take a lot of motivation from that place?
[Shakib Al Hasan:]
They can say the same thing that we have lost in five matches. That is their advantage. What should I say? [smile] No, sometimes you need to laugh.
