Bangladesh cricket star Shakib Al Hasan has expressed his desire to play in another T20 World Cup. Shakib is currently in the USA, preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Shakib is one of only two current players to have participated in all editions of the T20 World Cup. The other is India’s captain Rohit Sharma.
Last year, ahead of the Men’s World Cup 2023, Shakib had stated in an interview that he would play cricket until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
However, the all-rounder has since changed his mind and now aims to compete in another T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
“I hope I can play in another World Cup,” Shakib said recently. “Before that, I hope this World Cup goes well. Bangladesh should be able to do better than any other T20 World Cup.”
The Bangladesh team is expected to receive strong support from Bangladeshi fans in both the USA and the West Indies.
“A lot of Bangladeshi fans are waiting there. I hope they will give us full support, and their support will help us. We will be able to achieve good results,” Shakib added.
Bangladesh's performance hinges heavily on Shakib’s contributions. He recently achieved the remarkable feat of surpassing 700 international wickets and 14,000 runs, a feat accomplished by only him in international cricket.
In the last eight editions of the T20 World Cup, Shakib has played 36 matches, scoring 742 runs with a highest score of 84. He has also taken 47 wickets.
Bangladesh will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign in Dallas on June 8th (Bangladesh time) against Sri Lanka. Their second match will be against South Africa on June 10th in New York.