Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan insists his team remains focused on T20 series against Afghanistan

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said team morale hasn’t been affected by the shock retirement of one-day skipper Tamim Iqbal, which was quickly changed into a six-week break, and an ODI series defeat to Afghanistan.

“A lot of things may look different from the outside but I don’t think we were ever unsettled in the dressing room,” Shakib said. “As players, we stay focused on where we can improve each day and how we can contribute to the team.”

Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play two Twenty20 games at Sylhet, starting Friday.

Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam’s career-best 4-21 helped Bangladesh avoid being swept after beating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the final ODI in Chattogram. Afghanistan won the first two ODIs, including a record total of 331-9, for a 2-1 series win.

After the rain-hit first ODI, which Afghanistan won by 17 runs, Tamim announced his retirement. Ahead of the opener, he had said he was not 100% fit and would assess the situation during the series. That led to criticism from BCB president Nazmul Hassan who went as far as questioning his integrity toward the team. Tamim reversed his decision after meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and was given six weeks off to recuperate from a back injury.

Shakib urged his players to focus on their own strengths in the T20 series.

“We tend to get a little nervous or unable to perform well when we think too much about the conditions and too much about the opponent or any particular player. I think the less we do about that, the better for us,” he said. “From coach to me, the directive is that we should be ready for everything. The match might be curtailed as any time there might be rain. It can be 5 overs, 10 overs, 15 to 18 overs to 20 overs and we must be open for that.”

Bangladesh swept world champion England 3-0 in a T20 series earlier this year along with a 2-1 win over Ireland.

“The Afghanistan series will pose a different challenge. In T20 cricket, there is nothing like (a) big or small team. We won all matches against England but lost a game to Ireland,” Shakib said.

After winning the ODI series for the first time against Bangladesh, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan wants to take the momentum into the upcoming Asia Cup and next year’s T20 World Cup.

“It is preparation for us. I don’t think about the result, and I don’t put that pressure on the teams. For me, the most important thing is preparation and giving 100%,” Rashid said. “In recent times, the away team didn’t win here. But now the conditions are different.”