Shakib Al Hasan returned to the number one position for all-rounders in the latest ICC rankings and presently stands two points ahead of South African Jacque Kallis. The Bangladeshi said yesterday that it always felt good to be top of the pile.
“It’s always encourages you to be on top of the rankings and it will help to perform well in the upcoming matches,” he said.
However the number one Test all-rounder was wary of being carried away by matter. “Honestly it doesn’t matter at the same time that it matters. It’s difficult to express the feeling of being number one, but obviously it feels good and really motivates me to perform much better in the future to compete with the best cricketers in the world.”
The 26-year old did not wanted to compare himself with the likes of Kallis, Shane Watson and Mohammed Hafiz and said that each of the players played big roles for their respective sides. “Comparing myself with Kallis, Watson and Hafeez will not be right as they all are doing their best for their teams. It’s just a rule by the ICC where the points matters and I don’t think the cricketers should be overly excited by this, but yes it feels good to see yourself on top,” said Shakib.
Shakib went on to talk about the brilliant catch he took in New Zealand’s second innings at Chittagong recently that gave Sohag Gazi a historic hat-trick. “I was very happy taking that catch, it’s a great achievement which we don’t see often. Gazi has made history and it feels great to be a part of history,” he said.
He was happy with the way the national team has progressed from relying heavily on a few key players to being a well-balanced side. “Bangladesh team is now not relying only on one or two players. We have four to five cricketers who are performing well which is good for Bangladesh cricket,” adding whatever the situation, he always tried to do his best.
With his recently injured thumb improving, Shakib was looking forward to the second Test in Mirpur. “I have performed well in Mirpur and for that reason, I always said that it’s my lucky ground. I am not saying that I will definitely do well, but I will try to give 100%.
“We always hope to win, so why not we look for a series win here? Before, we would try to survive five days and look for a draw but now we are always hungry for a win, and it’s because we have played together for some time and that’s given us confidence.”