Shakib to come with all guns blazing amid criticism: Mashrafe

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DHAKA, May 7, 2019 (BSS)-Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza believes that Shakib Al Hasan has got the mental strength to deal with all difficulties and he would make his presence felt in the ongoing tri-nation as well as in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

Shakib has been at the receiving end since Bangladesh team was announced and began their preparation at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on April 22.

The ace all-rounder received harsh criticism from different quarters for not joining the national camp despite agreeing to do so a day after the camp started.

Shakib, who recently recovered from a finger injury which prevented him
from joining the national team for the tour of New Zealand, was earlier granted a no-objection certificate to make himself available for SRH, but the presence of stalwarts like David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson only prevented him from getting selected in the playing eleven regularly.

While he was subject to criticism during his stay in IPL it seemed that criticism started chasing him since his arrival to join the national team, ahead of their tri-nation series in Ireland.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan didn’t hide his disappointment after being informed of Shakib’s absence at the team’s official pre-World Cup photograph session.

Shakib arrived at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka to report to the team management ahead of the tri-series in Ireland and the World Cup.

However, he left the field before the team gathered for the official photo shoot despite being informed by the management that his presence was required.

Later, BCB president Nazmul informed that Shakib was apologetic for his action and added that the all-rounder informed him that he did not read the message thoroughly where BCB informed him about the photo shoot affair.

Ahead of such a crucial international assignment such as World Cup when the leading performer of the team is haunted by criticism one after another certainly it turns out to be a matter of concern for the team management considering whether he will be in the right frame of mind to give his full effort.

According to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza he is confident that all these things won’t have any impact on the performance of Shakib as he had given noteworthy performances in difficult conditions.

“Cricket is a mental game and Shakib possess very strong mentally,” Mashrafe told reporters ahead of the tri-nation.

“He has been playing in the international cricket for a long time now and he can handle difficult situations very well” he said.

“How many days he missed practice or did he practice or not, it doesn’t matter for a player like Shakib. It’s not a matter of worry for him. He knows what he would have to do,” he added.