Debasis Sen, Colombo: Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan on Friday brought back memories of that eventful day at Lords in 2002, when Indian captain Sourav Ganguly took off his shirt at the balcony after the Natwest Trophy win. The Bangladesh captain could not check his emotions after a thrilling win over Sri Lanka, which also paved the way to the final of Nidahas Trophy.
Later during the post match conference, the former Kolkata Knight Riders all rounder was repentant about his act on the field.
“Many things happened that shouldn’t have happened. I need to remain calm. I was overjoyed. Excitement was there. I must know how to react next time. I will be careful,” said Shakib.
There were tensions flaring up from both camps, making the do-or-die clash a thrilling contest.
“There was some emotion and excitement. There was a heat of the moment. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to talk about how well the two teams played and how competitive the match was. How everyone from both teams wanted to win the match. It was a great game of cricket, and that’s all we should remember,” said Shakib after the match.
On being asked whether it was the most exciting game he ever played, Shakib replied, “It was one of the most exciting matches for Bangladesh. I thought it was terrific the way we kept our nerve.”
The Bangladesh captain heaped loads of praises for Mahmudullah who kept his nerves in the final over.
“There was so much nerve around the team; the way Mahmudullah played, it was terrific. Tamim was brilliant too but you cannot take anything away from Mahmudullah in this game. I have never seen a Bangladesh batsman hitting the ball so well in limited overs cricket.
The controversy started when Mustafizur was hurled consecutive bouncers by Isuru Udana. According to Shakib, “I don’t want to talk about it but what happened was that the square-leg umpire called a no-ball and after a discussion they cancelled it. I didn’t think it was the right decision. I don’t know what happened after the first ball which was a bouncer but after the second ball, the umpire called a no-ball. We are all human, we should take it in the chin and move forward.”
He further added, “[A bit of needle] is good for the crowds as well. It is good for cricket. Otherwise, we come, we play, we go. There is no spice in it. We Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans are used to having a lot of spice in our food. It is better to have this spice but only on the ground. Not outside the ground.”
Talking about the final against India on Sunday, he said, “India are a very good team. They are the favorites. We have to play our best cricket to just compete against them. Everyone is eager to do well. I don’t know if we will win, but I want a performance like today.