Shakib Al Hasan two wickets away from becoming highest wicket-taker for the nation in all three formats
The ace Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is just two wickets short of becoming the first Cricketer in the world to be his country’s leading bowler in all the three formats of Cricket. Shakib is Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in Test and T20 with 147 and 65 wickets respectively.
The former Bangladesh skipper will be heading towards the ODI series against Afghanistan with 206 ODI wickets under his belt. Shakib will be vying for the top place in ODI wicket-taking list of Bangladesh which is currently occupied by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak (207). It is just a matter of time for the most prominent figure in the Bangladeshi bowling ranks to overcome his compatriot.
However, it’s not just Shakib who is chasing the top place as a bowler in ODIs, the record is also being chased by the current captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. The pacer has 203 ODI wickets at his disposal, only three less than Shakib and four less than Razzak.
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Currently, no bowler in the world holds the record of being on the top of their respective country’s wicket-taking list in all three formats.
Seven countries out of the nine test playing nations have a candidate to represent for the top of both ODI and Test’s wicket-taking list. Jimmy Anderson from England, Anil Kumble from India, Wasim Akram from Pakistan, Shaun Pollock from South Africa, Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka and Heath Streak from Zimbabwe are the prime figures in their country’s wicket-taking list in Test and One Day Cricket.
Two Cricket playing nations have three different bowlers topping the wicket-taking list for all three formats of the game, the Oceanic neighbors Australia and New Zealand.
In the first ever bilateral series among the two countries, four debutant Cricketers will be featuring in the ODI series. Mosaddek Hossain will be the Bangladeshi debutant while Ihsanullah, Karim Janat and Naveen-ul-Haq will debut for the Afghanistan team.
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Al-Amin Hossain has been left out of the squad as the selectors have recalled Shafiul Islam for the series against Afghanistan. "We thought Shafiul would be a better option as he bowled fantastically well in recent training sessions," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin in a press conference in the Capital.
“Our management also preferred Shafiul ahead of Al-Amin, who is lagging behind in terms of fitness and fielding," he further added.
Pace bowling prodigy Taskin Ahmed is also set to join the squad if he gets clearance from ICC regarding his bowling action. He was banned from bowling in professional Cricket matches following the ICC World Twenty20 previously this year.
Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in the first ODI on September 25 in Sher-e-Bangla stadium, Dhaka.