Dharamsala, Oct 6: Their build-up marred by infighting, Bangladesh will have their task cut out when they cross swords with Afghanistan in their World Cup opener here on Saturday, both teams seeking to enjoy that one breakout campaign after years of top-flight experience.
Bangladesh have always been a competitive side in the white ball formats but for a team that has just witnessed a face-off between two of its biggest players – skipper Shakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal — it will need to do more than just being competitive.
After Tamim’s exclusion from the World Cup team, a war of words breaks out between the two stars, the feud playing out in the open barely days before the start of the showpiece.
Following Tamim’s omission from the 15-member list, the selectors cited opener’s back injury for the decision, but while speaking to a sports channel, Shakib revealed that Tamim refused to bat at No. 3 in their first World Cup match against Afghanistan.
The star all-rounder even went on to call Tamim “childish” and said he isn’t a team-man, leaving the seasoned opener furious. (PTI)
