Bangladesh will fight back in World Cup, hopes golfer Siddikur

Siddiqur Rahman recently returned home after playing a tournament in Macau and will stay in the country for five days. After that, Bangladesh's best golfer will go to China to play in the Volvo Open. The next few visits are to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia. If there is a tournament, he spends 10 hours on the field for several days. Amidst such busyness, Siddikur does not have time to watch the matches of the Bangladesh cricket team. However, he has been following the Tigers in the ongoing World Cup.

At the beginning of the exclusive interview about cricket with The Business Standard, the golfer said, "To be honest, I don't see cricket matches that way. It's hard for me to see because it goes on for so long. But I try to keep an eye out. When I have a tournament, I am on the court for 10 hours for six days. It gets very busy during the tournament. So I can't find time anyway. Sometimes I can't even see the cricket score if I'm in a tournament. If I am in the country, I watch the game or check the score."

Siddikur knows that Bangladesh has gone to the World Cup mission with the dream of playing in the semi-finals. He feels that the path to Bangladesh's dream has become difficult, although he believes, "It is still possible." Siddikur said, "Since they have lost three of the four matches, now they have to go through a difficult time. I think if the mindset can be changed, then maybe it is possible. Logically it is very difficult for Bangladesh now. But still, I will say, it is still possible. If they can move forward by changing their mindset, it is still possible.'

Although the path to the last four seems difficult, Siddiqur is optimistic about Bangladesh's turnaround, and that is with the next match. He does not think it is very difficult to beat South Africa if Bangladesh can play as a team in ODIs. "If we can play matches like those good teams, then it is not impossible to win. It's a great South African team, playing very well. But if Bangladesh can play as a team; I would say they can win, it is not too difficult."

Siddikur advises not to take the pressure of expectations too much, "If you can't perform, pressure increases. At the moment, if we play it like a regular one-dayer, then maybe we can get the best from everyone. There are wins and losses, but I have to play my game, that's the main thing. Even if you don't perform well and win, you can still be in a respectable position. If you lose even after giving your all, then people will understand. So everyone will always say, it's okay to fight and lose. It is important to fight."

Losing Shakib Al Hasan due to injury in the last match was a big miss and Siddiqur thinks, "Shakib's absence against India was a big loss for the Bangladesh team. He is the best all-rounder in the world, and also one of the best batters in our team. Having him in the team is a big strength for the Bangladesh team. But at the end of the day, it's part of life and the game. Players will have injuries, and will not be able to play all matches, that will happen. But the void created by Shakib's absence is not being filled anymore."

"I don't know the condition of his injury. If Bangladesh have to play without Shakib, then the road to recovery will be more difficult for us. In events like the World Cup, you have to score runs. Shakib is one of our best batters and is the biggest weapon in his bowling team. So if he is not there, there will be a big gap. Because we have no alternative to Shakib," he explained.

Wishing all the best for the rest of the World Cup matches, Siddiqur again said that Bangladesh can beat any team in ODIs. He said, "All the best for the Bangladesh cricket team. This is our team, and I always support it. If we play our game, we can beat any country. My prayers and best wishes for the Bangladesh team."