Bangladesh Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan spoke to the press after landing in Bangladesh following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League, 2018. The best all-rounder in the world had a good IPL where he saw his team reach the final but, unfortunately, failed to lift the trophy.

Shakib’s Hyderabad team-mate Rashid Khan was the talk of the IPL due to his fine displays in the competition. Since Bangladesh take on Afghanistan at the start of next month, a lot of questions have been asked about how the Bangladesh batsmen are preparing themselves to face the T20 sensation.

Shakib, meanwhile, thinks that there has already been too much talk about him and that it isn’t really necessary to reiterate questions about one player.

‘Everyone is more or less a good performer in international cricket, so it isn’t necessary to talk so much about one specific player. I think there has been too much talk about Rashid Khan, so I don’t think I have to say a thing more about this matter.’

When asked about the type of pitch to expect in Dehradun, Shakib hoped that the tracks would be sporting. He also added that despite the ability of any side to beat any opponent in the IPL, Afghanistan are favourites in the upcoming tour due to their place in the T20I rankings.

‘Since there haven’t been any international games in Dehradun ever before, I don’t know how the wickets there could be. However, T20 cricket is played on sporting tracks, so I hope that it will be a good wicket.’

‘In T20s, any side can beat any other side on any given day.

‘Since Afghanistan are two places above us in the [T20I] ranking, they are favourites [to win the series].’