Bangladesh stalwart Mushfiqur Rahim has said the Tigers should play well for Shakib Al Hasan, who was handed a two-year ban from cricketing activities by the ICC for not reporting corrupt approaches.
Bangladesh cricket fraternity left shattered on October 29 evening when the International Cricket Council (ICC) sent a press release to the media informing details about Shakib’s ban. Shakib would be free to resume his international career after October 29 in 2020 only if he maintains the conditions of the suspended part of the sanction.
“It’s not possible to get a replacement of Shakib overnight. Everyone knows how big he is as a cricketer. We’ll be missing him in the India series. We have to play better against India. We have to play well for Shakib,” Mushfiqur told the media at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before flying for India.
“India are one of the best cricket teams in the world. They have been playing a good brand of cricket for a long time. So, it’s a real challenge to face them in the field. At the same time, you’ll get real inspiration when your oppositions are the world’s number one. You can’t guarantee a result in cricket,” Mushfiqur added.
In the first part of India tour, Bangladesh will play a three-match T20 series against the hosts, with the first match of the series taking place on November 3 in Delhi while the other two games will be played on November 7 and 10 respectively in Rajkot and Nagpur.
After the T20 series, both teams will lock horns in a two-match Test series, with the first Test being played in Indore from November 14 and the second Test and final game of the series in Kolkata from November 22. The second Test will be a day-night affair as both boards agreed upon playing their first day-night Test ever recently.