Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hasan has sent out a wake-up call which might have come too late as they are practically out of the semi-final race.
But stakes are high nonetheless with a position at the next Champions Trophy up for grabs as they face Pakistan Tuesday in a crucial World Cup encounter at Eden Gardens.
Shakib looked different and in a relatively happy and confident mood in the pre-match press conference at the Eden Gardens media center on the eve of the Pakistan clash, compared to his press conference after the Netherlands loss.
The Tigers had a rest from training Sunday, trying to regroup and get some confidence going by sitting with each other and discussing how to perform better in the remainder of the global tournament in order to achieve better results.
“Target is to play tomorrow's (Tuesday’s) match and try to win, do our best and look for the two points that are there to take. So, we'll try our best to do that,” said Shakib at the pre-match press conference at Eden Gardens Monday.
The Bangladesh captain said there were a lot of discussions in recent weeks but the team did not perform in a way that had been expected.
But now it's high time to stop talking and take proper action on the field according to the plans set to register positive results.
“We discussed about it, we had our team meetings. So we sat down, we talked about it, how we can overcome the situation we are in now. But we have to show it in action. Talk is cheap when it's not working. So, we'll do it at the ground so the action can take care of itself and everyone can see it,” said the Tigers’ skipper.
The remaining three games - first against Pakistan, then against Sri Lanka in New Delhi and the last against Australia in Pune - are very important for Bangladesh in the context of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy which will be held in Pakistan.
According to International Cricket Council sources, the top seven teams at the end of the group stage of the World Cup and hosts Pakistan will play the Champions Trophy.
So although Bangladesh have all but lost the chance to qualify for the semi-finals at this World Cup, every remaining match in the tournament has become important for Champions Trophy qualification.
With that said, it will be a mountain to climb for the Tigers, considering their recent form and the opponents they have to face.
