"No one expected that we will lose 2 games" - Shakib Al Hasan reckons series loss to USA is wake-up call for Bangladesh
Veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has admitted that the stunning series loss to the USA is a reminder of how much they need to improve ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. The 37-year-old credited the USA for outplaying them two games in a row.
A spirited USA side beat Bangladesh in the second T20I on Thursday to register perhaps the biggest series win in their cricketing history. They chased down 154 in the opening T20I and defended a modest 144 to stun the Tigers.
Speaking after the second T20I, Shakib hoped the series would serve as a wake-up call. As quoted by Cricbuzz, he said:
"Certainly it is disappointing and we didn't expect it but we must give credit to the US team for the way they have played. I think no one expected that we will lose two games. Any match you lose as a team is disappointing and you don't want to lose a game and obviously it is very disappointing. But having said that we have to play the World Cup and this series might be a wake-up call for us as we haven't played the way we want to play."
The former skipper also denied taking the USA lightly and claimed that the losses were down to a lack of execution. He said:
"I don't think we took them lightly. In the first game maybe we couldn't do what we wanted to do and in the second game exactly the same thing happened - we couldn't execute the plans that we were supposed to do on the ground."
Bangladesh's batters were found wanting as only Towhid Hridoy managed a half-century across both games. He scored 58 in the frist T20I at a strike rate of just 123.4.
"There should have been more facilities" - Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib went on to complain about the lack of proper training facilities at the venue, but also lamented the batters not using the optional practice session well. He added:
"If we take this as a preparation series for the World Cup, in that case we should have a lot more batting and bowling sessions and there should have been more facilities that we didn't get at all. I feel we had a proper net session for one day and even on that day the batsmen could not had required the batting session. And there was an optional day and the batsmen did not seize the opportunity."
The third and final T20I will take place on Saturday.