'Bangla look to gain confidence'

The world’s top-rated ODI all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, says Bangladesh is aiming for a confidence-boosting performance in this week’s international T20 Tournament in Trinidad ahead of the World T20 Championship in Sri Lanka.

Barbados, Afghanistan and Trinidad and Tobago are the other teams taking part in the four-nation Asia versus the Caribbean tournament from the Sept 6-8 at the Queens Park Oval here.

Members of the team have been engaged in practice sessions involving fielding practice on the main playing area as well as indoor and outdoor nets for batting practice.

“These games will be very intense as well because as you know Trinidad got so many national team players who will be playing for them,” said Shakib.

“So it will be a very good contest and if we do well here we will be full of confidence going into the world cup.”

The Bangladesh cricketers arrived in Port of Spain on Friday and include stars such as Shakib and attacking batsman Tamim Iqbal.

Their T20 team is ranked one above Australia at eighth in the current ICC Rankings.

During the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, Bangladesh defeated India and Bermuda at the Queen’s Park Oval to advance to the second round.

“It feels great. Obviously we have very good memories here,” said Hasan on his fourth trip to the West Indies.

“So we know the conditions and this we guess will be very similar to the Sub-continent so this will help us a lot for the upcoming T20 World Cup,” he told CNC 3 in Trinidad.

Teams in the Asia versus the Caribbean tournament are playing for a winner-takes-all purse of $50,000.