The world’s leading all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has been going through a rough patch. That is if you only take his batting into consideration, as the Bangladeshi has been having a terrible time with the bat recently. He has consistently failed with the bat while moving from strength to strength with the ball in hand.
The 26-year-old former captain is rated as the number one all-rounder in one-day internationals while he steps in at number two and three respectively for Tests and Twenty20 international.
His ranking belies the fact that his batting has fallen away dramatically so much so that in the recent Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after he took the second best T20 bowling figures ever he was quoted as saying, “I’m desperate to score some runs for the team. If you told me I could take five wickets or score a hundred, I would take the hundred any day. I am more satisfied getting runs than wickets. I am an all-rounder but I always prefer batting. I always prefer scoring runs more than my bowling so I am more desperate than anyone else right now I guess”.
Earlier in March, Shakib missed Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka with a shin-bone injury, but he joined the national fold in Zimbabwe afterwards. He didn’t bowl in the first two Tests, and had a quiet ODI series, but showed his true colours in the two T20 Internationals scoring 105 runs and claiming six wickets.
The Tigers had no more international duty which made Shakib a favourite in the world of franchisee cricket leagues. He flew to England to play for Leicestershire Foxes in the Friends Life T20 before travelling to play for the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League, but so far Shakib is yet to come good with the bat.
In England after 10 matches he left with a meager total of 146 runs at an average of just over 18. What one can’t read into statistics is his deer-in-the-headlights batting seems to follow one maxim, hit out or get out. Suffice to say aside from one middling innings of 43 not out, he was all at sea in English conditions.
Warmer climes with less swing than early season England should have suited his natural game, but clearly the monkey is still on his back. With scores of five, one, one, 12 and three his batting seems to have taken a backseat to his stellar bowling which seemingly papers over the cracks of his all-rounder status.
The Tridents are the leading team in the CPL with four wins out of five, their only loss coming yesterday to Guyana Amazon Warriors. Shakib was planted in the middle-order of the team that consists of players like Kieron Pollard, Shoiab Malik and Umar Akmal, but his average of 4.4 in the competition certainly does not speak of his ability but a lack of form and application.
Shakib must work out an approach to his batting and with almost half of the CPL still to play, it’s a great chance for him to return to form. If not then the coaching staff in Bangladesh should be on alert. He’ll probably need all the help he can get to reclaim his form, turn off from the T20 mindset and remember how to build and graft an innings again.
Recent T20s
Mat Inn NO Runs Avg
FLT20 10 10 1 146 18.25
CPLT20 5 5 0 22 4.4
Total 15 15 1 168 12.0
