Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who enjoyed a stellar World Cup individually, said that Mashrafe Mortaza's poor form played a huge role in the side's failure in the tournament.
Shakib Al Hasan was one of the star performers in the 2019 World Cup. The all-rounder ended the global tournament with 606 runs and 11 wickets, scoring two hundreds and five half-centuries.
However, Bangladesh failed to step up in the tournament. The side began the World Cup on a high, registering a comprehensive win over South Africa but failed to capitalize on the momentum. Eventually, Bangladesh finished 8th in the tournament.
In an interview with a Bengali-language newspaper, Shakib Al Hasan opened up on the poor performances from the side, stating that captain Mashrafe Mortaza’s poor form played a big role in their failure.
“I always believed that we could go a long way, and if we could get help from everyone maybe we could reach the semis,” Shakib said.
“For many reasons, many things do not happen. When a player is not performing, he starts thinking about his own performance more than the team. Then it becomes an issue.
“I think the same thing happened with Mashrafe bhai. Since the captain was not performing, it became a problem for him, and also for the team. The captain has to perform. There is no alternative for it.”
However, the all-rounder, who leads the team in the Tests and T20Is, isn’t ready to take up the responsibility in the 50-over format.
“Mentally I am not prepared for those (leadership role)," he said. "But the team is not in a condition for now, and I understand that to bring the team in a good shape it would be better if I am around and performing well.
Shakib will lead the team as they take on Afghanistan in the one-off Test match, which begins on September 5. The match will be followed by a three-nation tri-series, involving Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
