Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was at his devastating best in the 2019 edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, has revealed that before the commencement of the tournament, he had a feeling that something good will happen.
Shakib Al Hasan's anticipation was on point as the 32-year old scored more than 600 runs and picked 11 wickets in the tournament, justifying his number one spot at the ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings.
"From the first match, I had a feeling that something good will happen (this time). I scored well in all opening matches in the previous World Cups but I could not continue doing that. So I had to push myself to not lose the momentum after gaining it. [But] I was not surprised because I knew what I had in my mind. It's just that what happened is the best that I thought could have happened for me," ICC quoted Shakib Al Hasan as saying.
Shakib Al Hasan became the first batsman to score 500 plus runs. However, continuing his form, he ended up scoring 606 runs and clinched 11 wickets in the tournament.
As an all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan had the responsibility of performing in both the departments. He faced 631 deliveries and bowled 74 overs.
Shakib Al Hasan said: "I was feeling mentally exhausted in the last two matches. Probably I got over it because my fitness level was quite good. I could work on my fitness for one or two days in between, but at the same time, I could have gotten more tired in the process."
"It's tough to balance everything and so in that sense, the last two matches were really challenging. I don't why but I had a feeling that it [increased fitness level] was necessary. It helped as I had a good preparation before the World Cup," he said.
Bangladesh have already been knocked out from the tournament's semi-final race as they sit on the eighth position on the points table. Bangladesh faced a 28-run defeat at the hands of India in their last match of the tournament, which they played on July 2.
( With inputs from ANI )
