Shakib wary of another crowd backlash
Source: Agencies |
March 11, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BANGLADESH players will try to block out their passionate fans when they face England in the World Cup today after the crowd turned on them in their previous match.
The Dhaka crowd's mood turned from festive to fury last week as the co-hosts crashed to a team record low 58 against the West Indies and lost their Group B encounter by nine wickets.
Later the visitors' team bus was stoned after fans mistook it for the home side's vehicle and captain Shakib al Hasan was targeted for particular abuse.
Even the country's premier stepped in to appeal for the cricket-mad nation's supporters to calm down and armored personnel carriers were introduced to give added security for all teams.
It was a far cry from an earlier match when a 27-run win over Ireland prompted nationwide celebrations.
Asked how his team would handle the pressure of a make-or-break game against England in front of such a volatile crowd in Chittagong, Shakib said the only ploy would be to concentrate on the job in hand.
"Some day if you play well, they will cheer for you and some day if you don't play well they will abuse you. So we are not thinking about our crowd," he said.
"We have to do our stuff. We know what we can do and we hope to do those things."
Anything but a win against England will severely dent Bangladesh's hopes of progressing to the quarterfinal and that added to the pressure too, said Shakib.
"The boys will be a bit tense but we believe if we can play well we can beat any team and we are confident enough to do the right thing," Shakib said.
England arrived in Chittagong in buoyant mood after beating group favorite South Africa by six runs on Sunday but injuries to Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad have stalled its momentum.
The Dhaka crowd's mood turned from festive to fury last week as the co-hosts crashed to a team record low 58 against the West Indies and lost their Group B encounter by nine wickets.
Later the visitors' team bus was stoned after fans mistook it for the home side's vehicle and captain Shakib al Hasan was targeted for particular abuse.
Even the country's premier stepped in to appeal for the cricket-mad nation's supporters to calm down and armored personnel carriers were introduced to give added security for all teams.
It was a far cry from an earlier match when a 27-run win over Ireland prompted nationwide celebrations.
Asked how his team would handle the pressure of a make-or-break game against England in front of such a volatile crowd in Chittagong, Shakib said the only ploy would be to concentrate on the job in hand.
"Some day if you play well, they will cheer for you and some day if you don't play well they will abuse you. So we are not thinking about our crowd," he said.
"We have to do our stuff. We know what we can do and we hope to do those things."
Anything but a win against England will severely dent Bangladesh's hopes of progressing to the quarterfinal and that added to the pressure too, said Shakib.
"The boys will be a bit tense but we believe if we can play well we can beat any team and we are confident enough to do the right thing," Shakib said.
England arrived in Chittagong in buoyant mood after beating group favorite South Africa by six runs on Sunday but injuries to Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad have stalled its momentum.
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