Bangladesh cricketer Saif Hassan is looking to shift his focus away from missing out on the current ICC T20 World Cup and concentrate on the upcoming ODI series, as the team aims to secure a spot in the next year’s ICC ODI World Cup. Saif is presently participating in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) one-day tournament for Central Zone, set to compete against North Zone in the final at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Following the BCL tournament, Saif and other national team members will gear up for a three-match ODI series against Pakistan starting on March 11, marking the beginning of a busy period of 50-over cricket for the Tigers. Bangladesh has a total of 23 ODIs scheduled until March 31, 2027, with the goal of securing a place among the top eight Full Members in the ICC ODI rankings to qualify directly for the 14-team World Cup. Hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe have already secured automatic qualification.
Despite the disappointment of missing the T20 World Cup due to security concerns in India, Saif, who serves as the T20I vice-captain, is now focused on the upcoming crucial assignments. Emphasizing the importance of moving forward, he expressed his determination to prepare for the upcoming ODI fixtures.
After a period of being out of the national team, Saif demonstrated his capabilities in the Asia Cup T20 last year, leading to his ODI debut. His standout performance in the last ODI series against West Indies, where he scored an impressive 80 runs off 72 balls, played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s 2-1 series victory.
Looking ahead to the final match against North Zone in the BCL, Saif views it as valuable preparation before the Pakistan series. He is optimistic about putting up a strong performance in the final match to fine-tune their skills for the upcoming ODI series.
