Sports Desk:

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said he did not have anything to say in response to former India opener Virender Sehwag, who had asked Shakib to “feel ashamed of his performances” and “retire from the format”.

Bangladesh’s premier had underwhelming returns in his side’s previous two Group D encounters, failing to pick up a wicket while scoring eight and three against Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively. However, the 37-year-old made a crucial turnaround with a 46-ball 64 as Bangladesh made 159 against the Dutch, paving the way for a win that has bolstered their Super 8 chances.

Shakib’s return to form is a huge boost for Bangladesh who have struggled with the bat despite two wins under their belt. However, Shakib’s meager display in the previous games had led to scathing remarks from experts, including Sehwag.

“You are such an experienced player, you have been captain before, but your stats are such. You should feel ashamed of yourself and just declare that you are retiring from the T20 format,” Sehwag had told on a Cricbuzz show on Monday after Bangladesh’s harrowing four-run defeat against South Africa in New York.

Shakib, however, made it clear that he had no clue what Sehwag or anyone else said about him. When the topic was broached by a reporter at the press briefing following the Netherlands game, Shakib asked “who” had made that comment before calmly replying that it is not a player’s job to answer critics with words.

“A player never comes [gets onto the field] to answer anyone else,” Shakib said.

“A player’s task is to bat if he is a batter, contribute to the team, bowl well if he is a bowler as getting wickets sometimes also depends on luck, and if he is a fielder then to save runs and take the catches that come his way,” he added.

Shakib, however, made it clear that he had no clue what Sehwag or anyone else said about him. When the topic was broached by a reporter at the press briefing following the Netherlands game, Shakib asked “who” had made that comment before calmly replying that it is not a player’s job to answer critics with words.

“A player never comes [gets onto the field] to answer anyone else,” Shakib said.

“A player’s task is to bat if he is a batter, contribute to the team, bowl well if he is a bowler as getting wickets sometimes also depends on luck, and if he is a fielder then to save runs and take the catches that come his way,” he added.

The former Bangladesh skipper also added that it was not unwarranted for a player to be criticized from the outside following poor form. “There is nothing to answer to anyone. I think when a current player is not being able to contribute to the team as much as is expected of him then it usually invites a lot of questions, and I don’t think it is a very bad thing,” Shakib said.

With over 800 runs and 47 wickets across nine editions of the T20 World Cup, Shakib is the leading all-rounder in the history of the tournament. A consistent figure in Bangladesh cricket since mid-2000s, Shakib is also the only player to amass over 14000 runs and 600 wickets across formats.