Shakib must stand up as a bowler again

History beckons Bangladesh's ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan on his 42nd match when Tigers will lock horns with Proteas for the 2nd and final Test of the series on July 30 at Mirpur stadium.

He is only three wickets away from becoming the 17th player to take 150 wickets and score more than 2500 runs in Test matches.

Shakib's relatively young Test career has catapulted him to the top of the table in various categories. He is currently the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh with 147 scalps to his name.

He has the 2nd best bowling figures in an innings with 7 for 36 against New Zealand at Chittagong on 2008. Shakib has taken five wickets in an innings 14 times, most for any Bangladeshi bowler.

In terms of batting, Shakib is the third highest run-getter with 2788 runs, behind Tamim Iqbal and Habibul Bashar. His average of 39.82 is also third best, after Mominul Haque and Tamim.

Shakib played 29 Test matches out of 41 at home, scored 2 tons and 14 fifties with an average of 42.72. His only other hundred came in New Zealand in 2010.

Leaving aside the stats and numbers, Shakib is a vital cog in Bangladesh cricket's wheel, carrying the hopes and aspirations of over 160 million people whenever he steps on to the field.

The pressure to perform could've bogged down Bangladesh's top allrounder, but Shakib has responded with his performance time and time again, mainly with the bat in hand.

He not only leads the spin attack but plays an important role as a middle order batsman, capable of changing gears efficiently when required.

In his last ten Test innings, Shakib has had more impact with the bat, averaging 49 runs with three 50+ scores and one hundred against Zimbabwe.

With the ball in hand, Shakib has picked 18 wickets in his last ten innings, ten coming against Zimbabwe in 2014 at Khulna.

Ardent cricket fans and analysts have seen some changes in Shakib's bowling, changes detrimental to his performance off late.

Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan (R) celebrates with teammates the dismissal of South African batsman Faf du Plessis during the first day of the first Test match between Bangladesh and South Africa. Photo: AFP

After the shin-injury in 2012, Shakib's bowling action began to alter, since he was visibly putting less pressure on his pivot foot. He was bowling with less body, relying mainly on his arms and shoulder.

Even Shakib's use of the crease while bowling is one of the salient features missing in his armoury these days. He prefers to dart in deliveries to contain batsmen by denying them width.

Yet batsmen find ways of getting on top of him, mainly by quick use of feet and anticipating the line from the Bangladesh bowler.

The fact that Shakib's arm-ball has lost its potency is primarily due to his own doing, since he rarely flights the ball in Tests for his stock deliveries. Unfortunately for Shakib, he has lost that edge, unable to surprise batsmen with the ball holding its line.

Without any considerable difference between his stock and arm balls, batsmen comfortably play Shakib through the line, either pressing forward to negate any spin or waiting on the back foot to work the ball away for runs.

It would not be an overstatement to say Shakib's bowling looks toothless nowadays, and lacks the bite that made him a penetrative spinner.

The overdose of T20 cricket has certainly affected Shakib, as he is bowling to contain even while playing Test cricket. This is what worries his fans the most!

Bangladesh supporters would want Shakib to regain the panache with which he made the ball talk, even on pitches not so conducive for slow bowling.

Hope Shakib achieves the rare feat of 150 Test wickets and 2500+ runs in the 2nd Test against South Africa starting from July 30, Thursday.

Go Tigers Go!