"He has at the back of his mind that they aren't going to win" - Wasim Akram slams Shakib Al Hasan's comments ahead of T20 World Cup clash against India
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has criticized Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan for his comments prior to his side's T20 World Cup match against India. The two teams will meet in Adelaide on Wednesday, November 2.
Shakib claimed that India were the favorites to win the T20 World Cup and that Bangladesh, put simply, were not. He said during the pre-match press conference:
"India is one of the favorites. They came here to win the World Cup. We are not favourites and we didn’t come here to win the World Cup. If we win against India, it will be called an upset and we will try to play our best cricket and try to make an upset."
Sikandar Raza : "We are not here to just play, we are here to qualify into the next round and compete. "
Shakib : "We are not here to win the world cup. It'll be an upset if we win."
Pick your best AR wisely.
Shakib Al Hasan has received plenty of flak from fans as well as former cricketers for his comments. Speaking to A Sports, Akram explained how such a negative statement from the captain of a team impacts the rest of the players. The legendary fast bowler opined:
"The statement that Bangladesh captain Shakib gave yesterday, that has taken me aback. As a skipper, when you have a chance to qualify in a World Cup semifinal, that too against one of the strongest teams and the favorites India, you should come up with subtle and confident statements.
"But this shows that, even before the game, he has at the back of his mind that they aren't going to win."
Waqar Younis was also shocked by Shakib Al Hasan's comments
Former Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis was also present on the A Sports panel and he too was baffled after hearing Shakib Al Hasan's statement.
What surprised him the most about the statement was its timing as Bangladesh are still well and truly alive in the race to make it to their first World Cup semifinal. On this, Younis opined:
"You have won your previous game and if you're saying this in the middle of a tournament that means you're letting your team down and you're worried or scared that your team isn't going to win."
He added:
"T20 cricket is anyone's game and they have beaten India in the 50-over game in the past. Adelaide will have good batting conditions so you never know. Really shocked with the statement."
If they beat India on Wednesday, Bangladesh will go a point clear of the Men in Blue and move to the top of the Group 2 standings.
Can Shakib Al Hasan inspire Bangladesh to a famous win over India? Let us know in the comments.