Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto believes that his troops will deliver their best when they take the field in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup which is scheduled to begin in the West Indies and the USA on June 1.

Although the Bangladesh top-order batters mostly suffered in the recently concluded Zimbabwe series, and the bowlers couldn’t come up with the killer instinct throughout the games, the Tigers’ skipper is still believing in his colleagues.

‘If our preparation and team combination are taken into account, I think it is a very good team. It is important to perform their individual duty on this particular day. I am sure they will deliver,’ said Shanto on Wednesday.

Like this year, Shanto experienced something similar before the past edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, which was held in Australia in 2022.

Before going into that year’s global event, the southpaw couldn’t manage even a fifty-run run in his 11 games. He eventually ended the tournament as Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer, which facilitated a permanent place for him in the XI.

This year, the 25-year-old is undergoing a similar bad patch, as he scored his last fifty in this format in the second of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in Sylhet.

In the recently concluded series against Zimbabwe, the Tiger skipper managed 36, two, six, 16, and 21, and hoped to make a comeback during the World Cup.

‘I made a good comeback in the last World Cup. I am not too worried about my batting in this tournament. I am working hard and improving in practice. I am confident that I can make another comeback at this World Cup,’ he said.

Shanto also backed Liton Das, as the wicketkeeper-batter has been suffering from a severe run drought. The last time Liton scored a fifty was against Ireland in Chattogram last year, where he finished with his career-best score of 83.

‘Liton is a very important player. He hasn’t had a good time recently. It can happen to any cricketer. We didn’t want to bring in a new player for such a big event. We valued Litton’s experience,’ Shanto explained Liton’s inclusion.

Shanto also added that they could beat any team, and their initial plan was to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the tournament.

‘I think we have to make small plans to get through the first round. We are in a strong group. It will be difficult. There’s no big or small team in T20s. If we play well on a particular day, we can beat any team,’ he said.