Captain Shakib absorbs pressure to keep Bangladesh aloft

Dharamshala, 8 Oct-With the off the field issue, specially the Tamim Iqbal episode tormenting the cricket fraternity just ahead of the World Cup, there was doubt if Bangladesh can stay focused to attain the goal they are craving for.

Shakib Al Hasan later came down heavily on Tamim, sparking the doubt further. These issues and Bangladesh's recent inconsistency put a question mark on the team's ability and even many one predicted a defeat of Bangladesh at the hands of Afghanistan.

But after crushing Afghanistan effortlessly, it seemed Bangladesh are on right track as they are eyeing a semifinal spot in the World Cup.

The players body language and approach indicated they are highly focused to achieve their goal, leaving behind the issues which could be a distraction.

And behind it, there was a Shakib Al Hasan, who talked to the players and inspired them in a meeting ahead of the first game of the World Cup. Shakib himself was super charged in the match as he showed his emotion and even celebrated widely, which was very rare.

"It's a World Cup match and he took wicket," said pacer Shoriful Islam when he was asked about Shakib's on the field demeanor against Afghanistan.

But those who were aware about Bangladesh cricket's recent tumultuous situation knew well as to why Shakib was highly charged up. It is not that his three wickets that took his World Cup wicket tally to 36, eclipsed the likes of Brett Lee, Daniel Vettori in taking the highest World Cup wicket and Bangladesh's current fast bowler Alan Donald was just two wickets away to be surpassed by him.

In fact it is the issue that he wants his team to be united and focused for which he needs to lead from the front.

Tactically his captaincy was flawless and earned plaudits from Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, considered as best ever captain in Bangladesh and others. And when the performance added with such highly inspiring captaincy, it made Bangladesh a team to beat. His stat said he brought out his best, when he and his team is in concerned situation.

"At this moment, we have many players who have the captaincy material but the best option is Shakib. He is experienced and he knows how to absorb the pressure and how to take away the pressure from his players," BCB media committee chairman Tanvir Ahmed Titu said.

"To be honest, we have been tensed before the match against Afghanistan. The fans were tensed and even you people also. But there was no sign of pressure amongst the players. They were mentally strong and more focused," Titu added.