Challenge of recovering balance without Shakib

Bangladesh face South Africa today with the Tigers' hopes all but gone following three straight losses to Sri Lanka, England and West Indies in the Super 12 stage.

With ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan ruled out of the World Cup, Bangladesh's mental resilience is hanging by the thinnest of threads ahead of the South Africa game with plenty of issues to be factored in and resolved. The team's mental stature is perhaps at an all-time low and reduced to just 13 members due to BCB's childish planning, the most pertinent question now would be how to deal with the loss of Shakib?

The Tigers have played without Shakib before but it is his cricketing mind, which will be most missed for the remaining two matches. When head coach Russell Domingo came to the press conference yesterday, he put forward the notion that they would have to make do without Shakib and his presence as a 'leader'. He talked about the difficulty of balancing the side as well.

"Shakib is obviously a big loss for the balance of the side. The team will also miss his leadership and the calmness that he brings around the environment in pressure situations.

"When he doesn't play, you go a batsman or bowler light. You might have to play a part-time bowler. It does provide someone new to make his first World Cup appearance tomorrow," Domingo said.

Shamim Hossain is likely to make his World Cup debut while Rubel Hossain remains the only backup player in a squad with only 13 players remaining. Domingo was adamant that he did not feel the need for more backup players.

"We came here with two spare batters, two spare fast bowlers, an off-spinner and two wicketkeepers in the group. I still feel we are covered for the last two games. I don't think we needed to bring more back-up players.

"Sohan won't be fit for tomorrow. Shamim and Soumya [Sarkar], the back-up batsmen, will be in the starting eleven tomorrow," Domingo said yesterday.

Such decisions now seem almost whimsical given the current stature of decision-making but not many options are left. What is happening behind the curtains in Bangladesh team's surrounding environment remains a matter of speculation but it appears a problem is eating away at the team's mental balance since the loss to Scotland in the qualifier phase. And the resultant confrontation between key players and the board only muddied the waters further.

What remains key is how they plan to fight back under the current circumstances. Without Shakib that task now seems immensely difficult.