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Journalism of Courage
Dharamsala: “Your fifth (ODI) World Cup, how do you feel about that?” asked Michael Atherton at the toss. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan could only blush and giggle. Less than a couple dozen have had the distinction to do so. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad have played in more (six). Tanvir Ahmed has been at five World Cups himself. A long time Bangladesh fan, who traveled to watch his team play their 2023 opener in Dharamsala only had a phrase for the skipper. It was adequate enough, “We are really proud to have him.”
That longevity in international cricket corresponds with strong returns. At the World Cup four years back, Shakib was Bangladesh’s leading run scorer, and wicket taker. From all his outings in the tournaments, he has more runs than the likes of Javed Miandad and Adam Gilchrist and more wickets than Brett Lee and Imran Khan. And he doesn’t seem to be halting anytime soon. On Saturday, over a Dharamsala strip that offered early pace and bounce to the Bangladesh quicks, it wasn’t surprising that the first couple of breakthroughs came from their star spinner.
The pacers leaking boundaries with the new ball had Shakib bringing himself in the fray as early as the seventh over. It’s been in the nature of the 36-year-old. To hold himself to an answer when the tough questions are asked. As they were even before a ball was bowled at this World Cup. Why was Tamim Iqbal offered a different role than an opener, owing to which he excluded himself from squad selection? Shakib didn’t hold back on calling the Bangladesh batter with most runs in the format as ‘childish’ and ‘not a team man’. How could he hold himself back with the ball?
On the day he joined some of the royalties of World Cup cricket, Shakib had two of Afghanistan’s top three literally go down on their knees – trying to reach out for his deliveries – and make Najibullah Zadran look clumsy as his leg stump lay toppled.
Ibrahim Zadran has been the top run-getter for Afghanistan in ODIs this year. Together with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, he makes for almost half the runs their team has scored in the format in 2023. End of their partnership has seen the entire Afghan batting order collapse more often than not. In came Shakib with the deathtrap.
Zadran had punished a delivery outside off in his first over; the left-arm orthodox offered him another tossed up ball well outside off stump from round the wicket. Like a juicy offering just waiting to be dispatched for a boundary, similar to three others Zadran had procured on the day. Except this was slower and on a pitch that was offering awkward bounce, even to the slower bowlers, the sweep shot induced a top edge that was swallowed at square-leg.
Rahmat Shah, Afghanistan’s highest scorer in the format, fell for a similar bait. Only that his edge landed to the fielder on the offside, at the extra cover. Rahmanullah Gurbaz could barely believe the shot selection. “That’s why I didn’t play the sweep shot. This wasn’t the wicket to play that, even though I could,” he’d say in the mixed zone afterwards.
With his twin strikes, had Shakib just decided the fate of the contest? In hindsight, the Afghan opener reckoned so. “Shakib is a really good bowler. One of the best in the world. Whenever he bowls, you need to give him that respect otherwise he’ll get the wickets. I think after he took those first two wickets, we came under pressure.”
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was twirling the lead all-rounder’s baton for Bangladesh on the day. He’s been for some time now. But he couldn’t shy away from sharing the conversation with ‘Shakib bhai’ that helped him get his head in the game after an ordinary start with the ball.
“I gave away nine runs in the first over. I didn’t bowl well and was nervous. I was cautious in my mind. During the drinks break, Shakib bhai reminded me that there won’t be success if I bowl with a negative mindset. If they hit you, it’s okay. But they should charge at you, they have to hit your good balls,” said the player of the match who nabbed three scalps and scored a fifty afterwards in a comfortable win. It’s only his second World Cup but backing him was one of the few playing his fifth.
