Saif turns page on T20 WC, eyes ODI WC

Bangladesh batter Saif Hassan wants to move on from the disappointment of missing out on the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup and focus on the upcoming ODI assignments, with qualification for the next year’s ICC ODI World Cup still on the line.

Saif is currently taking part in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day tournament for Central Zone, who will face North Zone today in the final at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Saif and the national team players will then turn their attention to the three-match ODI series at home against Pakistan, beginning on March 11, which will kick off a busy period in 50-overs’ cricket for the Tigers.

Bangladesh have 23 ODIs scheduled until March 31, 2027. To qualify directly for the 14-team World Cup, the Tigers must finish among the top eight Full Members in the ICC ODI rankings by that date. Full member hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe have already secured automatic qualification.

Saif, vice-captain of the T20I side, is still reeling from missing out on his maiden T20 World Cup after the Bangladesh team refused to travel to India over security concerns. But the 27-year-old claims he has now realigned his focus to the upcoming important assignments.

“Deep down, in our hearts, everyone is disappointed. There’s no denying that. But I think as professional cricketers, it’s very important for us to move on,” Saif told reporters yesterday in Mirpur after Central Zone’s practice session was washed out by rain.

“Since we’re now heading into ODI cricket and there’s an ODI World Cup ahead, the sooner we prepare ourselves for it, the better it will be,” he added.

After being out of the reckoning for a few years, Saif seemingly revived his international career with some impactful knocks in the Asia Cup T20 last year.

His performance in T20Is earned him an ODI debut and he made a mark in Bangladesh’s last ODI assignment -- a home series against West Indies in last October -- hitting a 72-ball 80 in the series-deciding third ODI to help Tigers seal the series 2-1.

“If you look at the last year or year and a half, I didn’t really get many opportunities to play ODIs. We did play a few, but those were in between T20Is. So now, with the upcoming ODI series, preparation during these in-between periods have become even more important,” he said.

Central Zone had beaten North Zone by two wickets in a high-scoring league phase match in Rajshahi on Saturday. The final will be a day-night affair and Saif is expecting another good encounter before the Pakistan series.

“Since we’ve reached the final, we have the opportunity to play one more match. It’s very good preparation for us ahead of the ODI series. Hopefully, we can play even better cricket tomorrow [today],” he added.