Amid criticism over his form in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan silenced his doubters with a match-winning knock against the Netherlands on Thursday. The veteran recorded his 13th fifty in the format to help Bangladesh close in on T20 World Cup Super 8s qualification. Shakib went on to finish undefeated on 64 off 46 deliveries having crunched nine fours. This comes after former India batter Virender Sehwag had questiond Shakib’s place in the team.
Sehwag had claimed that Shakib should have retired from the T20 format long ago and even insisted that his numbers in the shortest format of the game has been 'shameful' lately.
"During the last World Cup, I thought he should no longer be picked for the T20 format. Time for retirement came a long time ago. You are such a senior player, you were the captain of this team. You should actually be ashamed of your recent numbers. You should come forward and announce yourself that enough is enough, I'm retiring from this format," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
"If you are picked in the World Cup squad for your experience, then show that it was actually worth it. You need to spend some time at the crease at least. You are not Adam Gilchrist or Mathew Hayden. Hooks and pulls are not your strengths You are a Bangladeshi player. You play according to your strength," he added.
However, Shakib hit back at Sehwag with his one word response after the match against the Netherlands. On being asked to share his views on Sehwag's remarks on him, the 37-year-old referred to the former India opener as "who?".
A video of the same has gone viral on social media.
Shakib Al Hasan, the most arrogant cricketer in the his history.
Journalist: There has been lot of discussions about your performance especially criticize by Virendra Sehwag”
Shakib: Who is Sehwag?
pic.twitter.com/wtqlGrdeX3— Farrago Abdullah Parody (@abdullah_0mar) June 14, 2024
Shakib, however, suggested that a player's job is not to give answers but to contribute to his team in every possible manner.
“A player never comes to answer any questions. A player's job is to bat for the team if he's a batsman and contributes to the team. If he is a bowler, his job is to bowl well. The wicket is about luck. If he is a fielder, he should save each run and take as many catches as he can. Here, actually, there's nothing to answer for anyone. I think it is important for a current player how much he can contribute to his team. When he can't contribute, then naturally there would be discussions and I don't think it is a bad thing,” said Shakib in the post-match press conference.
After his knock, Shakib admitted that it was important for someone from the batting unit to score big, even though Bangladesh's total wasn't competitive enough.
"It was important for someone from the top four to bat throughout the innings. Happy with the way I contributed with the bat. It wasn't an easy wicket at the start of the innings. We held our nerves, put on a decent total. I won't say it was a winning total, but it was a challenging total. Bowlers chipped in perfectly, especially the Fizz and Rishad. Those two bowlers took the game away from the Netherlands," Shakib Al Hasan said in a post-match presentation.
Bangladesh currently have four points from three matches. They can qualify for the Super 8 stage with a win over Nepal on Monday.