The pressure of expectations on Shakib Al Hasan always
remains high and to play for a team like Bangladesh ,
who have been the underachievers in world cricket till now, is never an easy
task. He carries the hope of sixteen crore Bangladeshis. Even if Bangladesh
lose, the loyal fans of Bangladesh
cricket will be satisfied if Shakib does well. He is the heartbeat of every
Bangladeshi.
Be it a rickshaw driver, a daily labourer or an elite, all
will ask you first about Shakib’s whereabouts before Bangladesh’s position in a
match. People will gather in front of those luxurious television shops whenever
Shakib takes the center stage. If he hits a six or four or grabs a wicket,
there will be a huge roar and it seems that one man has been able to capture
the imagination of a nation which is in need of a hero.
Such has been Shakib’s impact not only over Bangladesh
cricket, but over the whole country.
But amid those glorious performances and finest moments,
Shakib Al Hasan’s cricketing journey has also been affected by controversies. And
this year, most of the times, he has hit the headlines for all the wrong
reasons.
He suffered a three-match suspension on February for making
a lewd gesture on live television. He missed two important matches for Bangladesh
during the Asia Cup and he returned with a bang against Pakistan ,
but sadly the Tigers had lost a nail-biter to Shahid Afridi’s magic.
No sooner had things started to calm down, Shakib was handed
another suspension by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in July as he
disregarded the protocol by leaving the dressing room during the first one-day
international against India and getting involved in an altercation with a
spectator, who had allegedly harassed Shakib's wife.
Shakib’s absence was heavily felt and had made the Tigers to
suffer as they struggled to get back on the winning track. The BCB also started
to feel his importance.
In August, the BCB had reduced his suspension from six
months to two-and-a-half months and for which he was available for selection
for the series against Zimbabwe .
Shakib bounced back in style.
He had announced his comeback by bagging six wickets in the
first innings of Mirpur Test and in the second Test at Khulna ,
he simply blew away the Zimbabwean team both with the bat and ball. By
dismissing Elton Chigumbura, he became the third cricketer to score a hundred
and bag ten wickets in the same Test match. Imran Khan and Sir Ian Botham had
done this before Shakib.
Moreover, since 2000, only on five occasions that a player
has scored a century and taken a five-wicket haul in a Test match and three of
those have been by Bangladesh
players.
Sohag Gazi had scored an unbeaten 101 and took 6 for 77
against New Zealand
in Chittagong in 2013, but the other
two were both achieved by Shakib Al Hasan: 144 and 6 for 82 against Pakistan
in Mirpur in 2011, and 137 and 5 for 80 in the Khulna Test match against Zimbabwe .
Wow! That’s how champions rise to the occasion when the
going gets tough. The more you try to suppress them, the more they will bounce
back strongly. Time and again, Shakib has replied his ugly critics with
scintillating performances.
Shakib Al Hasan is the ultimate champion of Bangladesh .
He is not an Imran or Botham but he plays like them. Shakib is a cocktail of
swagger, nonchalant, rhythm, anticipation and ego. Yes, he has a big ego, but
his ego makes him determined enough to perform better each time he takes the
field. Such egoistic champions are more often the nucleus of a team and for
which such egoistic champions must be handled smartly and not harshly.
Shakib has proved his worth again. I hope his harsh critics
realize his true worth as well.
Note: This article has been published in Sportskeeda on 9/11/2014 http://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/shakib-al-hasan-bangladesh-proved-his-worth
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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