Shakib Al Hasan was handed the ‘key to the city’ of Chattogtram — an honorary award — today at a reception ceremony at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram by mayor AJM Nasir Uddin for the all-rounder’s outstanding performance at the World Cup. The cricketer talked about his preparation for the recently-concluded World Cup in England.

“To tell you the truth, my preparation ahead of the World Cup was really good. I started preparing 3-4 months ahead of the World Cup. I had to work really hard,” the ace all-rounder said during the programme.

Shakib was the tournament’s third-highest run-getter despite Bangladesh not making it past the group stage and also broke numerous records during the coveted tournament. He thanked the Almighty and spoke of how the support of the people inspired him to pull out his A game.

“I worked on all the areas of my game that I felt I needed to work on. By the grace of the Almighty the hard work was useful. The people of Bangladesh supported me and their support inspired me,” he commented during the occasion.

Shakib looked comfortable and showed his mettle against the best bowlers in the world during the tournament and when a young cricketer posed the question about what approach one needs to succeed at the highest level, Shakib’s reply indicated his fearlessness.

“If you think about what bowler you are facing and the international bowlers that you might, then you will not be able to play well. The pressure will be upon you and you won’t be able to perform.”