Bangladesh v Zimbabwe - Aren't we forgetting Shakib Al Hasan?

Bangladesh are euphoric about Razzak’s hat-trick and why not? Razzak has been brilliant in this match, but amid this euphoria should be forget one man’s critical contribution in this match? That man has created an enormous impact throughout this match and he is none other than our Shakib Al Hasan.

In the morning, Shafiul Islam gave Bangladesh the early break through, but that didn’t deter Bredan Taylor from unleashing an assault. Taylor took the attack to our bowlers and silenced the vociferous Mirpur crowd. Taylor was much needed to be stopped and who can do that job masterfully other than Shakib? 

Shakib took the responsibility to halt Taylor's assaulting-mood. In the extra-cover position Shakib set Raqibul Hasan in a bit depper position which make any attacking batsman think that it would be easy to clear that area. Shakib dished out a well-flighted delivery, which set-up Taylor to attack Shakib over extra-cover but was out caught to Raqibul Hasan.

Shakib's plan worked and Bangladesh have fetched the wicket of the danger man, courtesy of some thinking captaincy. Shakib had noticed that Taylor was driving on the front- foot aggressively and thus, he made Taylor over-ambitious to drive on a flighted delivery which Taylor mistimed and as a result Zimbabwe's escalating run rate had been dented. 

Then, Dabengwa was well set and his brief 48-run stand with Taibu was again helping the Zimbabweans to gain the lost momentum. Enters, Shakib Al Hasan again to bowl in the 29th over - Shakib’s second delivery took Dabengwa’s edge and went for four. Before bowling the last ball of the over, Shakib noticed that, Dabengwa was preparing to attack him as the previous three balls didn’t fetch him any runs. Shakib could realize that, Dabengwa would shape-up to attack him and thus, he deliberately bowled a full toss which let Dabengwa to hit that straight to Shakib – another classic breakthrough as a result of some thinking bowling and another important breakthrough as a result of leading-from-the-front like leadership. 

The Zimbabwean captain was at the crease and with Craig Ervine, he was trying to get back Zimbabwe’s depleted momentum. Both of them were involved in a chicky little building-the-partnership stuff. They were milking the singles and couple more than cracking boundaries.

Shakib Al Hasan realized that another wicket is needed to halt this momentum and he returned to bowl again. If his second spell was tidier and thoughtful, then his third spell was attacking – he bowled with an attacking line and length to dent the Zimbabwean batters - Elton Chigumbura was done by an arm ball – Shakib had arrested another threatening Zimbabwean partnership and at 132 for six, Zimbabwe were at bay.  

Shakib came back to bowl again when the partnership of Craig Ervine and Prosper Utseya started to blossom. Zimbabwe had taken the Powerplay at the start of the 44th over to go for the final assault. But the rest of the show belonged to Razzak who notched-up a hat-trick with Shakib getting rid of Meth to gain his fourth wicket of the match.

Razzak’s hat-trick might have stolen the show, but Shakib’s impact on this match had been instrumental. Those crucial breakthroughs in the critical junctures of the match can hardly be undermined. Sadly, our fans and cricket pundits are too much obsessed with Razzak's feat rather than Shakib's brilliant cricketing brain. I have not seen any so-called experts to say about this. But it should have been highlighted as well.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar