‘Shakib will do something special against Pakistan’

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hoped that ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan would do something special in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan and believed that the ongoing situation at home would not have any bearing on his performance.

On August 5, the political landscape in Bangladesh changed dramatically when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country and the Awami League fell out of power.

Shakib, who was elected as a member of parliament from Awami League in the general elections held in this year's January, was in Canada taking part in the Global T20 League when the parliament got disbanded and is yet to return to Bangladesh since.

Fans on social media have been criticising the all-rounder and some even jeered him in Canada during the Global T20 League for his silence during the student protests.

In the pre-match press conference ahead of the first of the Two Tests in Rawalpindi, which begins tomorrow, when Shanto was asked if the outside noise will affect Shakib's on-field performance, he dismissed it by saying, "No, I don't think so."

"He is a professional cricketer, and we all treat him as a cricketer. He has played this game for so long so he knows his role, he knows how to prepare himself. I'm not thinking about his political career. I hope he will do something special in this series," Shanto said.

The Tigers' record in Pakistan is abysmal, having lost all five Tests they have played in the country with the one-wicket defeat in Multan back in 2003 being their best performance by far.

Skipper Shanto said his team is not bogged down by past failures and excited to perform well in Pakistan.

"Record can be changed. It's not going to be easy, but as I said we have a balanced side. We believe we can do some special things this time. Players are really excited to play here."