Shakib relishing crucial clash with “top side” India

Bangladeshi superstar Shakib Al Hasan cannot wait to test his abilities versus the team he believes are favourites for the tournament.

The all-rounder put in a sparkling man of the match performance with bat and ball in his side’s 62-run victory over Afghanistan at the Hampshire/Rose/Ageas Bowl on Monday.

His measured 51 (69) helped to set a target that always looked beyond Afghanistan, and his bowling figures of 5 for 29 from 10 overs were the best by any bowler in the tournament so far.

His World Cup performances thus far have justified Shakib’s lofty position as the ICC ranked number one all-rounder..

He currently sits atop the pile for leading run makers of the tournament with 476 at an average of 95.20, and is joint-seventh in wickets taken with 10.

If Bangladesh are to qualify for the semi-finals, however, Shakib recognises that they must win their remaining two games [India and Pakistan] and also be aided by favourable results elsewhere.

“It will be difficult, but we have the belief that we can play well in next two matches and get the result. That’s all we can do at this moment,” said Shakib.

“We have to look at the other results as well, but first things first, we have to play two very important matches and get the results in our favour.

“We have a very important game coming up against India. They are the top side. They are someone who is looking at the title. So it’s not going to be easy, but having said that, we’ll give our best shot.”