Shakib to lead from front, hopes coach

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha is expecting Shakib Al Hasan to lead from the front in their World Cup campaign. He is also keeping a keen eye on some of the younger and less-experienced players in the squad, to see how they respond on the big stage, report agencies.
Shakib has been Bangladesh's talisman since 2009 and his all-round form has hardly dipped despite the team's rollercoaster win-loss record during that period. Last month, he became the first cricketer to be ranked No. 1 all-rounder in all three formats of the game. It was a turnaround for Shakib who had been suspended twice from international cricket for off-field indiscretions, including a spat with Hathurusingha while on his way to participate in the Caribbean Premier League last year.
Shakib is also the only Bangladesh player from the current squad to have played some cricket in Australia in the months leading up to the World Cup, having had a short stint with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. Hathurusingha described him as an "explosive" batsman and a "very clever bowler".
Hathurusingha said that although the occasion and expectation was getting to them, it stemmed from the intention of trying to do well in their opening game against Afghanistan in Canberra. Bangladesh are focused on winning the first game.