Shakib Al Hasan is hopeful that Bangladesh's productive 2022-23 season will translate to a good year ahead. He was talking about the two major 50-over tournaments later this year - the Asia Cup and the World Cup - from September to November. The World Cup is seen as a pivotal tournament for Bangladesh, a side whose favourite format is ODIs.
They started the home season with a 2-1 ODI series win over India, followed by a 3-0 T20I series win against England, and then beating Ireland in all three formats. The challenge was to do well in the 13 nearly back-to-back matches starting March 1, but apart from the 2-1 defeat in the ODIs against England, they won the other series convincingly.
Shakib led the team admirably in the T20Is and Tests, introducing an aggressive style that Bangladesh has often shied away from. He also contributed significantly in the ODIs.
Shakib said a mentality shift has really helped Bangladesh over the past five months. He said they realised the need for this mentality during the T20 World Cup last year when they needed to beat Pakistan in their last Super 12s match to have a shot at the semi-finals. They didn't make it, eventually, but Bangladesh enjoyed their best T20 World Cup campaign, winning two games against Zimbabwe and Netherlands and pushing India close.
"I think our biggest improvement is in our mentality," Shakib said. "During our last match of the T20 World Cup last year, we spoke about how we used to think of ourselves as a small team. We weren't really a small team but if we believed in ourselves, we could have reached the semi-finals. We lacked in that area, so we felt that we needed to change that aspect. Especially those who were in the T20 World Cup squad have undergone that mental change.
"This is an important year when we have the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We want to play well over the next six months. We did well in the first four months this year. We will be mostly playing ODIs this year, a format we feel we are good at."
Shakib had previously mentioned that Bangladesh's mental shift in T20Is started in the Asia Cup last year. Although it wasn't evident immediately, the change became apparent when they beat India in an ODI series late last year. When they beat England 3-0 in T20Is, they did so while picking five bowlers in every game, with the intention of asserting themselves over the opposition. It was an important moment for a Bangladesh team that had previously considered themselves only an ODI force.
The improved mindset in T20Is contributed to big scores in the ODI series against Ireland in Sylhet last month, and similarly high-scoring efforts in the T20Is in Chattogram. Even the choice of venues at home - Sylhet and Chattogram instead of mostly Dhaka - was a sign of progress. Usually Bangladesh fancy playing more in Dhaka as the Shere Bangla National Stadium offers more help to spinners, the team's perceived strength.
