Former Bangladesh captain Sakib al Hasan said he has no grudge against his team-mates despite his yet another masterful innings went in vain as Bangladesh could not win the game.
Sakib played one of the best innings in the history of ICC World Twenty20 against Pakistan on Tuesday when he hammered 84 off 54 balls, but Bangladesh still lost the game by eight wickets to be eliminated from the tournament.
World media in Sri Lanka branded Sakib ‘a champion cricketer in his own merit’ but felt sympathy for him as he plays for a team that still lacked a collective power.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim joined the world media in praising Sakib saying that in his eyes he is the best cricketer Bangladesh has ever produced and felt privileged to be able to play alongside him.
Mushfiq also felt guilty as they could not make use of his innings, which came against an attack that is feared by any side in the world. Sakib treated almost every Pakistani bowler with disdain and was particularly harsh on Saeed Ajmal, currently the world’s best off-spinner, who conceded 21 in 14 balls he bowled to him.
‘Obviously I am very disappointed,’ Sakib told reporters in Kandy after the defeat. ‘It is difficult to get total satisfaction from an innings if it doesn’t contribute to the team’s win.’
‘From an individual point of view I am happy with the way I played but at the end
of the day it is a team game and it was disappointing to end up on the losing side,’ said Sakib before leaving the Sri Lankan capital for home.
Sakib jumped 29 places to be ranked 37th as a batsman in the latest ICC Twenty20 rankings, released on Wednesday, after his innings which also helped him take the fourth position in the all-rounders’ rankings.
The position easily could have been better if he had made a century, which was looking very much possible at one stage of his innings, but he had to slow down because of a lack of support from the other end.
Sakib, however, said the prospect of a century had never crossed his mind and he was rather looking to get as much runs as possible for his side. He has no complaint against his batting partners, particularly Mushfiq and Nasir, who took no inspiration from his innings.
‘I was more concerned about getting as many runs as possible for the team,’ said Sakib, when asked if he had thought of scoring a century. ‘There were not that many deliveries left to play, so I am happy with the partnerships we got and the contribution from Tamim and Mushfiq.’
Sakib hailed his innings as his best in Twenty20 cricket as it came against Pakistan, who are said to have ‘arguably the best bowling attack in the world’.
Sakib, himself a champion left-arm spinner, was happy with his effort with the ball despite finishing a rare tournament, where he could not take any wicket.
‘I thought I bowled well in this second match. There was no help from the pitch for spinners, so I guess I went okay,’ said Sakib.
-With New Age input
