Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has praised veteran cricketer Shakib Al Hasan for his brilliant bowling performance that helped Bangladesh record their first ever Test win over Pakistan.
Shakib bowled a match-winning spell of 3-44 in Pakistan’s second innings to turn the match in Bangladesh’s favour. He dismissed Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel and Naseem Shah during his 17-over spell.
But things have not been easy for the veteran Bangladeshi player of late. Recently, he was accused in an alleged murder case of a garment factory worker, who was killed on August 5 in Abador, Dhaka, during protests in Bangladesh.
On August 24, a Supreme Court lawyer also sent a legal notice to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) demanding the removal of Shakib Al Hasan from the Bangladesh cricket team.
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Najmul Hossain Shanto praises Shakib Al Hasan for his brilliance
Speaking after the first Test win over Pakistan, Najmul Hossain Shanto praised Shakib Al Hasan for showing immense professionalism and putting aside all personal issues to perform for his country.
“When he steps onto the field to represent his country, from what I understand, he’s a very dedicated person. He does whatever it takes to win.
“He puts everything related to his personal life aside to think and focus on what he can do for the team, what he can do to help a junior cricketer and things like that. He can do these kinds of things in a unique way,” Shanto was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“To be in a situation like that (being accused in a murder case) and still be able to put in a performance like that and contribute, especially in bowling, is extraordinary. This is what we expect from him and hopefully in the next match we will get something even better,” the Bangladesh captain added.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz provides perfect support
Alongside Shakib Al Hasan, his spin bowling partner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 4-21. The spin bowler was effective on a fifth-day pitch and got the big wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman. Miraz also helped Bangladesh dismiss Pakistan’s last order cheaply.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned BCB president Faruque Ahmed had stated that a decision on Shakib Al Hasan would be taken after the first match against Pakistan. According to Cricbuzz, the BCB will meet on Monday and take a final decision on the veteran cricketer.
Shakib Al Hasan’s record in international cricket
Shakib Al Hasan is undoubtedly the best cricketer to have emerged from Bangladesh. The 37-year-old has played 68 Test matches, 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is for Bangladesh.
Apart from being a reliable batsman, he is also an excellent left-arm bowler. He has scored close to 15,000 runs and taken over 700 wickets in his international career.
With a win in the first match, Bangladesh has taken a 1-0 lead in the series. The second match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played at the same ground from August 30. Pakistan needs to win this match at any cost if they want to level the series.