Asia Cup 2022: "Apun ko zindagi mai kuch daring karna tha" - Twitterati troll Shakib Al Hasan over "rubbish" captaincy after Bangladesh are crushed by Afghanistan
Afghanistan came up with another clinical effort to thump Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh by seven wickets in Sharjah in match number three of the Asia Cup 2022 on Tuesday (August 30). Bangladesh, rather surprisingly, decided to bat first after winning the toss.
Speaking of his decision, Shakib explained that “putting the runs on the board will hopefully be difficult for Afghanistan to chase”.
Bangladesh, however, could not put enough runs on the board as they struggled against the spin duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/16) and Rashid Khan (3/22). All they managed was 127 for 7 in their 20 overs, which could have been worse but for Mosaddek Hossain’s valiant 48*.
Afghanistan needed only 18.3 overs to chase down the target. Bangladesh did reduce the opposition to 62 for 3. However, Najibullah Zadran (43* off 17) and Ibrahim Zadran (42* off 41) played contrasting knocks to lift Afghanistan to an emphatic victory.
Following the heavy defeat, Twitterati blasted Shakib, who was featuring in his 100th T20I. Cricket fans questioned the Bangladesh skipper's decision to bat first and also his ploy to hold back Hossain, even though the game was slipping away.
Some also felt that Shakib (1/13) completed his own bowling spell way too soon. Here are some reactions on Twitter to the Bangladesh all-rounder’s poor performance as leader:
2... @BCBtigers Why Ur Players were Looking in Some Arrogance?
What was Ur Homework? Bat First In a T20? Seriously?
N ys Sharjah ground Very Good But this Pitch is Not Suitable For T20 Cricket!
Balls Weren't Not Jumping Enough!
#Sharjah #najib #Afghanistan #Bangladesh #Shakib
@ESPNcricinfo Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to bat first. 🤦 https://t.co/mQ1j55TGyq
Bangladesh had several spin options and Shakib still went with pacers. Bangladesh is not suited for T20s, either with their weak batting or bowling, that’s a fact #AsiaCup2022
Not sure exposing your stumps and swinging across the line is a wise approach on this track. Very poor from Shakib! #AsiaCup2022 #BANvAFG
Shakib is as bad as a captain as Mahmudullah was. He made the same old mistake of not using his best bowler
Shakib choosing to bat first. https://t.co/MJI2210uae
"Shakib Al Hasan tried his best" no, he did not. Yes he bowled well, but the batting? The maIN decisions as a captain? I see nothing I'm sorry. Do better.
Shakib two errors batting first after winning the toss and bowling himself out far too early in the Afghan reply #AFGvsBAN #AsiaCup2022
Okay now please loose the match against Sri Lanka & come back home rubbish team. Afg needed 60+ runs may b from 36 balls, now this result. Why Mosaddek didn't complete his quota Shakib? Why did u chose to bat first though I know result would have been the
Not a surprising result. Bangladesh are poor in T20Is and Shakib botched up by not bowling Mosaddek. Afghanistan won their first two matches in the previous Asia Cup too. Strong statement again. #AFGvsBAN #AsiaCup2022
@NA__SR__EEN3 Faltu bowling.. They didn't use Saifuddain and Mosaddek.. Rubbish captaincy from Shakib
Shakib in press conference
#AFGvsBAN
#AsiaCup
#CricketTwitter https://t.co/sP5VAqbnOF
@AliRplsc @NA__SR__EEN3 @Sah75official Seriously flaws in Bangla Tigers approach. Don't know whether coaches have final say in team selection. They need to revamp the entire board, support staff and players. Otherwise they will be lost in international cricket
@TheMarwahKhan shakib ko kuch daring krne ka tha...😅😂
🙄@IrfanPathan shakib vogabond thinks won the toss and elect battong makes afghan easy to defeat bangla😎😏🙄
@CricCrazyJohns Icc should ban Bangladesh
And Shakib should play for another country
“Always tough when you lose four wickets in first 7-8 overs” - Shakib Al Hasan
Reacting to the defeat, the Bangladesh captain rued the early loss of wickets. Bangladesh were 53 for 5 in the 11th over, which pretty much sealed their fate in the contest. Speaking at the post-match conference, Shakib said:
“It is always tough when you lose four wickets in the first 7-8 overs. We were in the game for the first 14-15 overs. Credit to Afghanistan. In a T20 game, whoever is standing up for the team should it take it till the end. Mosaddek played well but we needed more contributions.”
Sharing his thoughts on Afghanistan’s chase, he added that Bangladesh were in with a chance until Najibullah snatched the game away. He added:
“We knew Najibullah is a dangerous batsman. We thought we had the game when they needed 60 odd in the last 6 overs. But credit to Najibullah.”
Najibullah smashed six sixes in his 17-ball knock to stun Bangladesh. The explosive batter added an unbroken 69 with Ibrahim in just 5.3 overs.