No point in blaming Shakib only for World Cup flop, says team director Mahmud
He was booed in Dhaka as well as in Kolkata during Bangladesh's match against the Netherlands. His explosive interview before the World Cup where he slammed long-time friend and teammate Tamim Iqbal sparked controversy as well.
Shakib Al Hasan has been heavily criticised for Bangladesh's disastrous World Cup campaign but team director Khaled Mahmud reckons there is no point in blaming the skipper alone.
Shakib has remained a pale shadow of himself in the tournament, having scored only 104 runs and taking seven wickets in seven matches. His decision to head back home in the middle of the World Cup to train with his childhood mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim was not received well by many.
He was booed in Dhaka as well as in Kolkata during Bangladesh's match against the Netherlands. His explosive interview before the World Cup where he slammed long-time friend and teammate Tamim Iqbal sparked controversy as well.
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"Shakib has [not been able to give his] 10%.. Probably that's why he went back to the country," Mahmud told reporters at the team hotel in Delhi on Friday.
"He was desperate to perform and win. The biggest problem is that the team is not performing. Him not performing like in 2019 could be a reason," he added.
"There's no point in blaming Shakib only. 10 more players play for the team. Captaincy is an added responsibility, yes. But when he bats, he is a batter. When he bowls, he is a bowler. So every batter and bowler must take the blame," Mahmud stated.
"It's not his failure only. Yes, he is the captain. But we all need to take that responsibility. I am a part of the team, so I am responsible too," said the former Bangladesh captain.
