Shakib Al Hasan must step up to help Bangladesh be consistent

Shakib Al Hasan must step up to help Bangladesh be consistent

Bangladesh have had a good home season with series wins against Pakistan and India but the first Twenty20 International (T20I) against South Africa exposed their batting to an extent. Nikhil Popat wonders if Shakib Al Hasan can get his mojo back to help Bangladesh be ruthless at home.

It was a smart ploy from Bangladesh. They prepared quick, pace-friendly wickets with bounce for the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Pakistan and India. Wins were bestowed on them as both teams were caught napping and Bangladesh won the series’ 3-0 and 2-1 against Pakistan and India respectively. Come, South Africa they went back to their tried and tested method of testing opposition by spin but unfortunately for them the batsmen were so used to the good batting decks that they were found wanting on slower deck. They could not combat the duo of JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso and eventually lost the game by 52 runs. READ: Bangladesh vs South Africa 1st T20I Highlights: Faf du Plessis’ master class and more

Shakib Al Hasan was the best player for them and deservedly won the Bangladesh player of the game award. Remember he is the No. 1 ranked all-rounder in ICC T20I rankings. When he came on to bowl, South Africa had already lost the big wicket of AB de Villiers. Spinners were tying down South Africa. One expected Shakib to come in and hit the nail in the coffin. Players who achieve greatness pick their moments; Shakib could have picked his had he dismissed Faf du Plessis early. The South African skipper took the game away and Shakib could not go past him to help his team restrict the visitors to modest total on a slower deck. Blaming him would be very harsh but more is expected from the best in the world than an economical spell of 1 for 24 from four overs. READ: Professional South Africa thrash clueless Bangladesh by 52 runs in 1st T20I at Dhaka

With the bat he and Mushfiqur Rahim were about to get the chase back on track when Rahim holed out. Spinners were holding one end up and these were not the best spinners in the world. Shakib could not get Duminy and Phangiso away and the pressure kept building. He did not find the gaps and was eventually he was out trying a cheeky scoop to David Wiese for a 30-ball 26.

For any all-rounder an economical spell and 26 runs might not be bad but they are of no use if they do not help your team win. More so with Bangladesh starting to win games comprehensively at home, they need Shakib to fire and be at his lethal best. For long, there have been thoughts about how good Shakib has been and his teammates have let him down. Now that Bangladesh are starting to fire as a unit, they do need the services of their best batsman and bowler.

With only one T20I left to play, if you have a look at Shakib’s numbers, they do not inspire much confidence. He has picked up just 12 wickets in 11 innings at an economy of 5.59. The economy might be great but it also means that teams are playing him out and attacking the rest. With potential comes pressure of performing and expectations, Shakib cannot escape them with ICC World T20 2016 coming up next year.

His batting though has been decent enough, he has scored 307 runs in 11 games at 38.37 at a strike rate of 128.99 since the same period. He though has just a couple of fifties. It might be a case of him batting too low down the order but Shakib will know he can play longer and the more he plays in an innings, the chances of Bangladesh getting stronger totals increase automatically.

In ODIs since 2014, he has picked up 37 wickets in 24 games at a good average of 23.78 for a spinner. His strike rate though leaves a lot to be desired, it is 33.3 which might not be too high but those don’t speak of the potential that Shakib has. He’s the best spinner Bangladesh have and can definitely be better than what he is right now. His batting numbers in ODIs have gone down if you compare him with his teammates since 2014.

Shakib is the fifth in the list of highest scorers for Bangladesh in ODIs since 2014 and he will know if he can combine with Mushfiqur and Tamim scoring well, Bangladesh will have more than a chance to catch South Africa surprising. The visitors are without Dale Steyn for the ODIs and with just Morne Morkel as the only threat, Bangladesh will want their star batsman to come good and continue their impressive home run.

(Nikhil Popat is diehard cricket enthusiast and a PotterHead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)