Why Bangladesh star Shakib Al-Hasan is the undisputed MVP of the 2019 Cricket World Cup

Shakib Al-Hasan has fired Bangladesh into contention for the semi-finals CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

•  Tim Wigmore 

19 JUNE 2019 • 5:23PM

Of the 150 players in this year’s World Cup, only one could mount a plausible claim to being both his country’s best batsman and best bowler. His name is Shakib Al-Hasan, the undisputed Most Valuable Player of the 2019 World Cup to date.

There is a tendency to call Shakib underrated. This is curious, for Shakib is not underrated by players he’s played with or against, fans who have enjoyed his stellar international career and fine returns in the Indian Premier League, or the official ICC player rankings; in 2015, he became the only cricketer ever to top the allrounder ratings in all three formats at the same time. But the notion of Shakib as underrated speaks to a truth: because he is not from one of the sport’s traditional titans, some have found it easy to overlook his multifarious talents. Australia, indeed, have only played Bangladesh in a single ODI since 2011.

In 2000, when Shakib was aged 13, two seminal events helped to transform Bangladesh’s cricket team.

First, Bangladesh were awarded Test status: the culmination of a 29-year journey to this point, dating back to the Liberation War in 1971. Cricket always had strong roots in Bangladesh, which had hosted Tests when it was part of Pakistan. Now, Bangladesh could develop an infrastructure and fixture list to galvanise the sport in the country, even if the road to doing so would be circuitous.

The other crucial development in 2000 was Shakib’s selection for the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan, the national sports institute. Growing up in Magura, in south-west Bangladesh, “The fighting mindset was there from childhood,” Shakib later recalled. In his placement at the national sports institute, where he lived and studied full-time, Shakib began to marry his competitiveness with the facilities and training he needed to sharpen his skills. His mentors and coaches became trusted confidants in his journey. 

Shakib made his Bangladesh debut aged just 19 CREDIT: REUTERS

When Shakib made his international debut six years later, aged 19, he joined a team only two years out of their run of losing 45 consecutive ODIs. Shakib instantly became an indispensable player through his instinctive batting, shrewd left-arm spin and freedom from the scars of defeats past. In the 2003 World Cup Bangladesh lost to Canada and Kenya; in the 2007 tournament, Shakib’s 53 anchored their victory over India. He then claimed two top-order wickets in the win against South Africa, too. 

For all that these victories attested to Bangladesh’s promise, the team’s maddening inconsistency frequently exasperated their fanatic fans. In their arduous, and still far from complete, ascent up international cricket, Bangladesh were stymied by everything from poor fitness to corruption, frailties against pace bowling and a simple lack of cricket. 

All the while, Shakib remained a constant beacon of excellence. From being man of the series in the run to the Asia Cup final in 2012, hitting 114 to lift Bangladesh from 33-4 to a target of 266 and the Champions Trophy semi-finals and taking 10 wickets and hitting 84 in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test victory over Australia, Shakib has been a common thread in many of Bangladesh cricket’s finest days. 

Yet, for all that his self-belief, refusal to accept the status quo and athleticism drove Bangladesh forward, Shakib’s fire has not always been channelled constructively. In 2014, he was even suspended by the board for six months after disagreements with the coach. But he has mellowed, cutting himself off from cricket news and banning his friends and family from chatting cricket with their nation's finest ever player. Shakib is now back as Test and T20 captain. 

Shakib celebrated the win over the West Indies with a simple handshake CREDIT: PA

The burden of a great player in relatively weak teams is always greater. They are forced into doing the hardest jobs, a role that Shakib, with his adaptability, self-confidence and relish for that fighting mindset, has easily embraced. Rather than bowling his left-arm spin in the middle overs, he routinely bowls during the Powerplay and towards the end. Last year, Shakib started batting at three in ODIs. In 19 games there, he averages 59.68, including consecutive centuries against England and the West Indies. 

Perhaps more than the innings itself, Shakib’s celebrations after seeing Bangladesh to their impudent chase of 322 against the West Indies distilled his contribution to his nation’s cricket. He marked the moment of victory by shaking his partner’s hands in an almost perfunctory manner. Shakib expects to deliver in all climes. And, now, so do his team. 

Related Topics

• Cricket World Cup
 
• Bangladesh Cricket Team

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