Shakib Al Hasan: The lone wolf in the Bangla pack

How often do we see a sport like cricket being subjugated by someone of rogue elephant’s trait? It is usually the case with the teams sitting at the bottom of the chart, where one single man outmuscles everyone else to bring that much-needed ray of a new dawn.

For Bangladesh, that man is Shakib Al Hasan. Fighting against the forces of high-scoring totals and vicious short pitch deliveries – in England of course – is this 32-year-old. Heading into their fixture against hosts England, there was no doubt that the English Lions would have an easy route over the Bangla Tigers. After all, they had crossed the 300-run mark in their last six ODIs, with their bowlers wreaking havoc in most of those fixtures as well.

READ | Shakib with a point to prove

Shakib, on the other hand, was carrying a unique record of his own. Ahead of the game, he had scored five half-centuries in his last six ODIs. And in Bangladesh’s World Cup opener against South Africa, he became the fastest player to reach the double of 5000+ runs and 250 wickets in one-day internationals. They don’t call him the best all-rounder in the ODIs for no reason.

This particular feat didn’t just make him the quickest to the milestone, but also slotted him in the midst of elites like Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis. Moreover, a part of his success with the bat – especially since 2018 – goes to a shift in his batting order to No. 3. The position has suited him so well that he has been averaging 52.76 since January 2018.

READ | 20 years on, Bangladesh return to the land where it all started

It seems that his presence somehow instils fortitude which brings the best out of his team-mates too. And remember we are talking about a player whose 2019 has majorly been hampered by several injuries. A finger injury back in February this year meant he missed Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand.  He then needed a NOC  from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play in the Indian T20 League.

Against Ireland, in May, he got retired hurt with a side injury after scoring a 51-ball 50. The attribute of being fit hasn’t been particularly being kind to Shakib, especially in 2019, yet he has managed to defy odds stacked against his favour.

I had to convince many people to bat at No 3: @Sah75official

— Mohammad Isam (@Isam84) June 8, 2019

Against England in Cardiff, he finally scored his first ton at No. 3 and on his way, manifested what his critics actually floundered to perceive. Although he recorded one of his worst bowling spells on the day, he made up for that through his batting excellence.

Though the numbers are bound to vary, the verve with which Shakib toyed around with the English bowlers is certain to go down in the history as one of his finest knocks against one of the fiercest bowling attacks. And the magnitude of this gospel remains the honoured ovation he received even from the home supporters while making his way back to the pavilion. He might have lost the game, but won a million hearts.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Ellis