Shakib Al Hasan drills down his own captain Najmul Hossain Shanto after Bangladesh's loss to India

Veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan slammed his own captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, following the loss against India in the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2024. Shakib Al Hasan criticized Najmul Hossain Shanto's decision to field first after winning the toss in their recent match in the ICC event.

Najmul Hossain Shanto opted to field first after winning the toss in Antigua on Saturday, June 22. This decision came as a surprise, as Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that he would have batted first. The Bangladesh bowlers failed to restrict the India team to a below-par total in the Super 8 match in the World Cup.

Indian opener Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli added 39 runs in just 3.4 overs. Rohit Sharma scored 23 runs off 11 balls, including three fours and one six, before being dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan. Virat Kohli (37 off 28), Rishabh Pant (36 off 24), and Hardik Pandya (50 off 27) helped the team score 196 runs in 20 overs.

Would Have Batted First - Shakib Al Hasan

Speaking after Bangladesh's 50-run loss to India, Shakib Al Hasan stated that batting first has been the most successful strategy in the Caribbean Islands. Shakib said that the captain and coach may have had other strategic reasons, despite statistics favoring batting first.

"Personally if you ask me in the Caribbean it's one or two games - when England chased that 180. Other than that batting first has been the trend for most of the teams and they have been very successful. So, if you look at the stats, I think, yeah, ideally you would have batted first, but maybe the captain and coach thought otherwise," Shakib said.

Don't Have Any Part Or Role - Shakib Al Hasan

When asked if he was consulted about the decision to field first, Shakib Al Hasan stated that he was not. Shakib mentioned that the team's strategy was possibly aimed at limiting India to a reasonable score, allowing Bangladesh to plan their batting approach accordingly.

"We thought that we could restrict them in a reasonable way so that there is a score in our head and we know how we should go about when we bat. So maybe that's the reason we decided to field first. No, I don't have any part or role in this," Shakib added.

It's How The Game Is Played = Shakib Al Hasan

The 37-year-old all-rounder said that decisions aren't about experience or seniority, but the captain will make the final decision. Shakib added that the captain is responsible for the team's good and poor outcomes.

"These are not the issues of experience or seniority. When there is a leader, a captain, it's his decision. If we would do well, the credit would go to the captain. If we did bad, we question the decision of the coach and captain. It's how the game is played."

Bangladesh suffered losses to Australia and India in their first Super 8 matches. The Bangla Tigers are almost eliminated from the tournament following these losses. The team will take on Afghanistan in their final Super 8 match at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, on Monday, June 24 (local time).

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