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All eyes were on a certain Shakib Al Hasan as Bangladesh took on West Indies. The former skipper made his much-awaited return to international cricket after spending one year in the wilderness following a failure to report approaches from bookies.
Under new captain Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh made a roaring start to the home series as they trounced West Indies 3-0. They dominated each ODI from start to finish, and go into the 2-match Test series high on confidence.
But the biggest plus for the team has to be Shakib Al Hasan’s magical return to limited-overs cricket. The all-rounder got banned at the peak of his powers, and with him already 33, many doubted how he would perform in a new-look side.
Just like he has all his career, Shakib Al Hasan silenced his doubters. Here’s a look at how he performed across the 3 ODIs against West Indies.
Shakib Al Hasan the bowler still as deadly
Picked in the 1st ODI, fans got to see Shakib Al Hasan make a return to bowling in just the 10th over of the game. And it felt like he was never away as he straight away got the ball to grip and turn in trademark Shakib Al Hasan style.
The rewards came soon after, when Shakib Al Hasan cleaned up Andre McCarthy in just his 2nd over of the game. It could only go one way from there on, as Shakib Al Hasan registered the cheapest four-wicket haul in Bangladesh's ODI history. With figures of 7.2-2-8-4, it was interesting to note that West Indies batsmen could not score off 35 out of the 44 deliveries he bowled that day.
He eventually ended the series as the second-highest wicket-taker with 6 scalps. He conceded just 2.26 runs per over, easily the most economical of the lot. It is safe to say that Shakib Al Hasan the bowler is back.
For casual viewers, it was surprising to see Shakib Al Hasan re-integrate so seamlessly into the international set-up. After all, many cricketers struggled to find their groove after cricket resumed post the COVID-19 enforced lockdown last year.
But not for Shakib. Fahim, one of Bangladesh’s top coaches, while speaking to ESPNcricinfo, disclosed how the all-rounder has used the time off to add another weapon to his already dangerous bowling style.
"[Shakib] used to mostly bowl flat and side-arm. His strengths were pace variation, angle and not much of turn. I don't know what he did during his break, but now he can bowl more vertically as well as side-arm”
How did Shakib Al Hasan the batsman fare?
The ban came at the worst time for Shakib Al Hasan, the batsman. Fresh off a stunning World Cup where he finished with the best average (86.57) out of any batsman, many backed the Bangladeshi to take his batting to another level.
He looked set to make that No.3 slot his own, and a few eyebrows were raised after it got announced that he would return to his usual middle-order spot against West Indies. But that didn’t stop him from showcasing his batting prowess, giving glimpses of what he has to offer in his 2nd innings in international cricket.
Batting at No.4, Shakib Al Hasan amassed 113 runs in 3 innings. Notably, only captain Tamim Iqbal and Rovman Powell scored more. He scored an unbeaten 43 in the 2nd ODI to guide Bangladesh to a 7-wicket victory and then scored his first half-century after his return while batting first in the final ODI.
As his strike rate suggests (64.94), he showed signs of rustiness against West Indies. But that got better as he faced more balls. Expect Shakib Al Hasan to return to peak form sooner rather than later.
He ended the series with a record and the Man-of-the-Series award
. Upon his return, Shakib Al Hasan became the only cricketer to score 6,000 runs and take 300 wickets in a single country.
It is unclear when we will see the all-rounder again, considering he picked up a groin injury in the 3rd ODI against West Indies. With 2 Tests against West Indies followed by a tour to New Zealand, cricket fans would hope they see a healthy Shakib Al Hasan take to the field as soon as possible.
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