Shakib Al Hasan has not yet retired from Tests. Said, if given a chance in the team, he wants to play the home series against South Africa, and wants to retire in that series.
Bangladesh lost the Kanpur Test by 7 wickets despite being washed away by rain for more than two and a half days. Very few cricketers have been able to perform like Mukraksha in such a match. Muminul Haque’s century and Sadman Islam’s fifty are the only performances worth mentioning. Shakib took 4 wickets in India’s first innings and showed that he is still a cricketer who deserves a ‘team chance’ against South Africa at home.
But still Kanpur test is Shakib’s last test many people think. Even yesterday, Tamim Iqbal said in the commentary room, “Maybe this is Shakib’s last test.” Because Shakib became a candidate in the election last January and became a member of parliament of Awami League. He has also been accused in a murder case after the fall of the government on August 5.
Shakib, who was in America at that time, sought assurance from the board about his safety. He also asked for assurance that he will be able to return to his family in America after playing the Test.
But the new president of BCB Farooq Ahmed said that this is a high-level matter, BCB cannot provide personal security to anyone. Meanwhile, Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said that the case should not be harassed, that aspect will be considered. But it is difficult to provide security to the national team cricketer Shakib Al Hasan from the people’s place.
All things considered, the possibility of Shakib ending up in Kanpur in white is not insignificant. And considering that, Shakib disappointed in his last Test innings. The Bangladeshi batsmen had to stay on the wicket today to save the Test. Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Sadman Islam came with wickets. Lytton was dismissed on extra bounce by Ravindra Jadeja.
In this situation, Shakib got the important responsibility with Mushfiq. But after 16 years, Shakib, who dropped eight in a Test, gave the second ball to Jadeja. When the question arises as to why that shot should be played in that situation, other information spread on social media. In his last T20, Shakib got a golden duck ie a zero run from the first ball.
And today Shakib got a silver call in the possible last Test innings. Zero on two balls.
The similarity does not end here. Shakib did not get any wicket with 19 runs in 4 overs against Afghanistan on June 24. After Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja in Kanpur today, Bangladesh’s Mehdi Hasan Miraj and Taijul Islam also got wicket help. Miraj took 2 wickets, Taijul got the wicket of the storming Yasswi Jaiswal, but Shakib remained wicketless with 18 runs in 3 overs.
In the last international T20, Shakib returned with the bat and ball empty-handed on the last day of Kanpur as well.
If the Kanpur Test is over for Shakib, another strange similarity can be found. Shakib, who entered international cricket in 2006, played his first Test in 2007. He made his debut against India in Chittagong.
Centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly followed by performances from Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hussain forced India to end the innings four hundred short. Shakib did not see a wicket even after 13 overs when he came to bowl for the first time in the Test. Captain Habibul Bashar did not give him the ball in the second innings.
Shakib is Bangladesh’s most successful bowler so far in Tests with 246 wickets. But if Kanpur is the end point of a brilliant career, then the match between the most successful bowlers with zero at the start and end is a little disappointing.
