‘We all enjoy his captaincy’, Sakib says on Shanto’s leadership

Bangladesh take on Nepal on Monday om their final group D fixture, hoping to secure berth to the Super Eight with a win. The game will begin at 5:30 am Bangladesh time on Monday. While skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has struggled as a batter, his captaincy has been very important especially with how the bowling changes have worked so far in this ongoing World Cup and pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib acknowledged that the team are enjoying Shanto's leadership.

Asked regarding how Shanto has been able to lead the side so well during his own struggles with the bat, Sakib said Shanto has been determined to keep things organised.

"Shanto is working very hard in practice to get back to his form. He is a very hardworking person. I think he is one of the most hardworking people and he's a dedicated and passionate player in our national team. He is trying his heart and soul to get back his form. As a captain, he is very determined and supportive. We all appreciate him. We all enjoy his captaincy. He keeps everyone organized, even off the pitch. So, I would say it was a very good side of him," Tanzim Hasan Sakib said in a press conference on Saturday.

Group D has had tight contests and Bangladesh faced steep resistance from all Group D opponents so far. Netherlands will also be playing Sri Lanka on Monday, the game beginning an hour after the start of the Bangladesh vs Nepal fixture. Bangladesh will be needing at least a point from the game as they can miss out on Super Eight if they lose to Nepal and Netherlands clinch a win against Sri Lanka by a margin big enough to catapult their run-rate above Bangladesh's.

Photo: BCB

Bangladesh were aware of the threat Nepal's spin department possess. Nepal's spinners accounted for all seven of South Africa's wickets to fall in a tight match that went right down to the wire. Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib said his side were not taking Nepal lightly.

"There is no small or big team in T20 cricket. We try to see each team equally. Because T20 is a game of momentum. It is a game of only 20 overs. No one can say when the momentum changes. We try to take each team equally. We will play aggressive cricket. We will stick to our position. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. We will try to play equally with everyone," Tanzim said in a press conference on Saturday.

Few of the batters such as Shanto, are yet to get confidence-boosting runs. Sakib said the team has absolute faith on the players.

"I think whoever gets picked for the World Cup team is the best choice. I think they are trying hard to give their hundred percent even if maybe one or two of them couldn't score runs. I believe and as teammates, we all believe that they will get back to the runs very fast. This is our belief in the team and with this belief, we got to play the game. We have so much faith in each and every player. We believe that one day he will play and the next day I will play [well], and so on. So, we enter the field with this belief," he concluded.