Shakib’s talent and two sides of Bangladesh cricket’s coin
Bangladesh's ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is a veteran of eight T20 World Cups, stepping onto his ninth world event in the shortest format. The mercurial Bangladesh star was only 22 when he played his first T20 World Cup. Now at 37, Shakib is the lone member of the current side that played in the first T20 World Cup in 2007.
In fact, India's Rohit Sharma is the only other player to have played in all the T20 World Cups along with Shakib. Before this T20 World Cup, discussions had been on whether Shakib was playing his last T20 World Cup.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Still with a spring in his steps, Shakib looks eager to make his case once more and the Tigers' key player also said that he would like to play in another World Cup.
"Firstly, when I started I didn't know I would be able to play cricket for so long. And secondly, since the start of the T20 Cricket World Cup till this T20 World Cup I have participated in all of them along with Rohit Sharma. It is a matter of pride for me and happy that I could represent the country," Shakib said in a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) video released on Friday.
"Rohit Sharma and I are the only two players who played all the T20 World Cups and I hope that I can play another World Cup but before that I would like to perform well in the tournament and hope Bangladesh can do better than any previous T20 World Cups," he hoped.
Both Shakib and Rohit have made their presence felt in the international circuit and have been able to show that age is not a factor in front of their skill and experience. Shakib as an all-rounder has perhaps played a more important role for the Tigers than Rohit. His importance is paramount. He identified that he was not going for anything big but just looking to contribute in this World Cup.
"I don't want to see anything next to my name and the only thing that I want is to contribute for Bangladesh team and hope to do well for Bangladesh in this World Cup," Shakib had said.
Yet, for Bangladesh, Shakib's talent is one side of the coin while the other side of the coin is the lack of push he will likely face from competing players in the future. A pipeline problem.
How many players have come through to actually challenge for a spinning all-rounder's place in the side? Afif Hossain's performances have largely been missing in recent years with bat and ball. Mosaddek Hossain once looked like a genuine option lower down the order while being effective with the ball, but consistency has been his issue too.
Spinners such as Nasum Ahmed failed to find a foothold in the national team while current national team's left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam has made it to the World Cup squad but not being banked upon yet.
By the time the next T20 World Cup comes in 2026, to be played in Sri Lanka and India, Shakib is likely to remain relevant. He often skips series on whim, something the BCB too has come to terms with -- simply because there are no options.
His mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim talks of Shakib's left-arm spin as a dominant factor in him being able to play another T20 World Cup.
"I don't think we will have a better left-arm spinner by then," Fahim told The Daily Star.
Shakib has always kept things simple. He is ferociously consistent in terms of where he is pitching the ball, capable of beating batters in flight. His batting may not be as consistent but he picks up singles fast and has added range-hitting to his arsenal to open new avenues in T20Is.
"Shakib is a very high-level player. He doesn't even focus on his rankings if he doesn't play two matches. When he plays, he knows he wants to do his best. He belongs there. He belongs to that level and once he goes to the USA, he will be in that mindset to perform," Fahim added.
Bangladesh have not only struggled to find players but also struggled with developing leaderships. In the last Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), now national team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was not backed for captaincy by Sylhet franchise. Neither did Barishal push for Mehedi Hasan Miraz. These failures would have an impact for the national team going forward.
For Shakib, it is a tremendous feat to keep going. For Bangladesh cricket, though, it is the other side of the coin that they should be concerned about: the lack of players coming through pushing for places when the veteran is gone.
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