When Shakib Al Hasan takes the field, he pushes everything in his personal life to one side, says Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto hailed veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for his impressive bowling performance in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan despite all the scrutiny around him. Describing Shakib as a dedicated person, Shanto asserted that when the all-rounder steps onto the field for the nation, he completely shuts out his personal life.
Shakib has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately. He has been named as an accused in an alleged murder case of a garment factory worker, who was killed on August 5 in Dhaka's Adabor during the protests in the country. On Saturday, August 24, a Supreme Court lawyer even sent a legal notice to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), asking for the cricketer's immediate removal from the team.
Keeping the off-field developments aside, Shakib shone with 3-44 in the second innings of the Rawalpindi Test as Bangladesh bowled out Pakistan for 146. They then chased down a target of 30 to register their maiden Test win over Pakistan.
Speaking after the historic victory, Bangladesh captain Shanto praised Shakib and said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
"When he takes the field to represent the country, from what I understand, he is very dedicated as a person. He does everything that's required to win. He pushes everything in his personal life to one side 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 sorts of things in a unique way."
"To be in a situation like that (being accused in a murder case) and still be able to bring out a performance like that and to give his inputs, especially in bowling is outstanding. This is what we expect from him and hopefully, in the next game we get something even better," he added.
Shakib dismissed Saud Shakeel (0), Abdullah Shafique (37), and Naseem Shah (3) as Pakistan suffered a shocking batting collapse. Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz also shone with 4-21 from 11.5 overs.
BCB to convene on Monday to take a call on Shakib Al Hasan: Reports
BCB president Faruque Ahmed had earlier stated that a decision on Shakib would be taken after the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
As per Cricbuzz, the cricket board will convene on Monday to take a call on the seasoned all-rounder. If that is not possible, the board directors will meet on Thursday (August 29) to discuss the situation, the report added.
Arguably Bangladesh's finest cricketer ever, the 37-year-old has featured in 444 international matches, scoring over 14000 runs and claiming over 700 wickets.