Skipper Shakib Al Hasan acknowledged that the open dispute with Tamim Iqbal could have impacted Bangladesh in the ICC World Cup 2023. However, Shakib Al Hasan stated that it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for their poor performance in the ongoing World Cup.

Tamim Iqbal revealed that he voluntarily opted out of Bangladesh’s World Cup 2023 squad because a member of the BCB suggested he bat in the middle order. This led to a public dispute, and Shakib Al Hasan criticized Tamim’s behavior, describing it as childish.

It May Have Had An Effect – Shakib Al Hasan

During a post-match press conference after Bangladesh’s 87-run defeat to the Netherlands, Shakib Al Hasan acknowledged that changing captains just before the World Cup can disrupt existing plans and strategies.

“It could be. It is not unusual. I don’t know what’s in everyone’s heart. I don’t disagree with you. It may have had an effect,” Shakib said.

“It is quite natural for the plans to change when the captain and coach change. It is difficult to keep the same plan. It can be a good or bad plan. Everyone has a different thinking. We don’t know what’s wrong and right. It is difficult for me to say why our performance didn’t reflect how we played before.”

We Haven’t Done Well In The Asia Cup – Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladesh skipper stated that the team wasn’t as bad as their performance indicated, suggesting that factors like the World Cup atmosphere and high expectations could be influencing their results.

“Team gets confidence after winning games regardless of conditions. We lost to England and Afghanistan recently. We won two series against Ireland. We haven’t done well in the Asia Cup if you leave aside the India win. We have underperformed in this World Cup too.”

“We are not this bad a team. It could be the World Cup or this atmosphere, high expectations. It could be a lot of other things. We must find out, but if we work on it, we might find the answers.”

The Bangladesh team suffered an 87-run loss against the Netherlands at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, October 28. The Bengal Tigers will take on Pakistan in their upcoming match at the same venue on Tuesday, October 31.