Bangladesh unbeatable at home, says Shakib Al Hasan

When we talk about the best all-rounders of the present era, the first names that come to our cliched minds are Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali. The name we tend to overlook, maybe because of the not-so-popular country he plays for is definitely Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladeshi all-rounder is undoubtedly one of the most underrated talents of the current generation, who has been ignored even after proving his mettle on various occasions.

As far as the ICC rankings are concerned, Shakib Al Hasan tops the chart for all-rounders in all three formats of the game i.e Tests, One Day Internationals and T20s. Shakib’s capabilities as a cricketer and his exceptional talent are not widely appreciated outside the borders of Asia. It is a perfect example of how Bangladesh is still not considered in the same bracket as nations like Australia, India, England and South Africa.

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Speaking about the same Shakib said “It is frustrating,” he said, while playing for Jamaica Tallawahs during the Caribbean Premier League. “We can see the difference. But that’s how it is. We can’t do anything.” he added.

Bangladesh are set to host Australia in a two-match Test series which is scheduled to start from 27th August at Mirpur. This is the first time Shakib will face Australia in a Test match in his entire career. The Australians will also play a Test in the country of Bangladesh after a gap of 11 long years. Shakib Al Hasan seemed keen on taking the pitch against the Kangaroos in the white jersey for the first time in his career.

“None of our team members in this squad played Tests against Australia, so it will be very exciting.” said Shakib.

Bangladesh have improved immensely as a cricket playing country in the recent past and continues to do so. The team has tasted success on a much larger scale than ever and the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is a proof of it. The men in green and red went to the semi finals of the tournament where their journey came to an end against India. Nevertheless, it was a massive achievement for the side who have always been tagged as the ‘underdogs’ in world cricket.

“It’s been a long journey,” Shakib said. “It’s been incredible. I don’t think many people thought – even in Bangladesh – that we can come this far.” Shakib added

“We knew that we have this ability, and we needed that belief, and we can only get this belief by winning matches,” he says. “But there is no shortage of self-belief at this moment… Now we feel that we are very much unbeatable at home – doesn’t matter who we are playing against. So this is the belief that makes a team a very good team, and a winning team.”

Shakib went on to state that he thrives on the hunger to win and hates losing a cricket match. He recalls his days of playing tennis ball cricket and mentions the same.

“When I used to play with the tennis ball at my home in Magura, I hated losing. Most of the time I used to win. And I always liked batting, bowling, and fielding – I wanted to be the best. The fighting mindset was there from childhood – I don’t know where that came from, but it was there, from the earliest time that I can remember.” he said.