Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan reveals how he shifted focus from football to cricket

Star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has revealed that he never dreamt of being a cricketer as he hailed from a footballing family. He recalled that he only began taking interest in the gentleman’s game after Bangladesh won the ICC Trophy in 1997.

34-year-old Shakib is Bangladesh’s biggest cricketing superstar. He has represented the country in 58 Tests, 215 ODIs and more than 90 T20Is. Apart from scoring over 12,000 international runs, Shakib has also claimed over 600 scalps with his left-arm spin.

According to Shakib, though, growing up he just wanted to be a doctor or engineer like any other middle-class kid. Reminiscing about his younger days while speaking to Sportskeeda, the all-rounder said:

“I came from a footballing background. My father used to play for our district and my cousin played for Bangladesh team. It was always football in our family.”

Shakib admitted that his focus shifted towards cricket only after Bangladesh’s victory in the 1997 ICC Trophy. He added:

“In 1997, when Bangladesh won the ICC Trophy, we went out on the roads, played with colors. It was only from then on that I started playing cricket. It was never that I wanted to take it as a profession. But, it happened. My father is a government employee. We come from a middle-class background. My dream was to study hard and become a doctor, engineer or professor.”

Shakib made his debut for Bangladesh in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare in August 2006. He returned with figures of 1 for 39 with the ball and contributed an unbeaten 30 in Bangladesh’s dominating victory.

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“Really thankful to my family the way they supported me” - Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladesh all-rounder credited his family for his success as a cricketer.

According to Shakib, it was their tough decision to admit him to a sports institute called BKSP that was a game changer. The grateful Shakib revealed:

“I got that support from my family, who got me admitted in a sports institute called BKSP (Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan). That is where I learned my cricket. I was very lucky. Coming from a small place from Magura, getting admitted to BKSP for cricket wasn’t easy at that time. So I am really thankful to my family for the way they supported me. But even after that I never knew that I was going to be a cricketer. I loved the game."

Shakib is currently representing Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2021. He played a stellar role in the team’s qualification for the Super 12 phase, coming up with man of the match-winning efforts against Oman and Papua New Guinea.