"You are not Hayden or Gilchrist who can play a pull shot off a short ball, you are just a player from Bangladesh" - Sehwag lays into Shakib Al Hasan
Former India batter Virender Sehwag has criticized Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan following his poor performance against South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The veteran all-rounder scored only three runs during the run chase as Bangladesh lost by four runs in New York on Monday, June 10.
Shakib has had a troublesome last six months or so. He left during the latter stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup due to injury, relinquished his captaincy, and struggled with an eye issue, before making his international comeback in the home series against Zimbabwe.
Sehwag opined that as a senior player, Shakib should have played a bigger role in the run chase. Instead, the left-handed batter perished off the fourth ball of his innings in the eighth over while trying to pull Anrich Nortje's fiery short ball.
"If he was included in the squad for experience, then we were not able to see it. Atleast spend some time at this wicket, it is not like you are not Hayden or Gilchrist who can play a pull shot of a short ball, you are just a player from Bangladesh. Play according to your standards. When you are not able to play hook or pull, so just play the strokes that you know," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel added during the discussion on Cricbuzz:
"There are expectations on Shakib, and that is not wrong, because he has been playing since the first World Cup. Especially when the team is in trouble, the young players in the team will obviously look up to him. Shakib said after losing the series to USA that it was a wake-up call. If you need wake-up calls even after playing for 15 years, then imagine how much he has snoozed."
Batting down the order in Bangladesh's World Cup opener against Sri Lanka in Dallas, Shakib managed just eight runs off 14 deliveries before being dismissed, courtesy of an excellent catch by Maheesh Theekshana.
"If the numbers are like these, he should be ashamed of it, right?" - Virender Sehwag on Shakib Al Hasan's T20 output since the 2021 T20 World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan has not been impactful with the bat in the shortest format for a while now and even had a mediocre Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) campaign recently. When it comes to international cricket, he holds an average of 19, 24, 46, and 11 from 2021 to 2024, respectively, a phase where he played 45 innings.
In the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, where Bangladesh needed him the most, Shakib scored only 131 runs and 44 runs, respectively, while primarily batting in the top or early middle order.
"I felt that Shakib's time in T20 cricket was up a long time back, during the last T20 World Cup. He has been captain for such a long time, he is such a senior player, and after that if your numbers are like these, he should be ashamed of it, right?," Sehwag stated in the same discussion.
"Even he should realize that he is not cut out for T20s anymore, and announce retirement. When I played the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, I realized that the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and then there was this left-arm pacer from Afghanistan, I was not able to score against them at will. So, I straight up told the selectors to not consider me for the format anymore. Because, at the end of the day, you know your level and when you are not able to contribute, then what is the point of playing. So, I don't think he should play or be played," Sehwag concluded.
Bangladesh are next scheduled to take on the Netherlands at St.Vincent on Thursday, June 13.