Last Updated on 7 months by Charbel Coorey
Earlier this week, it was reported that Shakib Al Hasan could miss the 2nd Test against India in Kanpur starting September 27. The all-rounder copped a blow to his hand off a Jasprit Bumrah delivery in the opening Test at Chepauk, which required medical attention.
However, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe confirmed Shakib is available for selection.
“There is no doubt [on Shakib’s availabilty]. At the moment I have not heard anything about any sort of injury – neither from the physio, nor from anyone else. And, he is eligible for selection,” Hathurusinghe said on Wednesday, as quoted by The Hindu.
Shakib did not make an impact with the ball in the first match. He conceded 129 runs in 21 overs – the most expensive outing of his Test career – and finished wicketless. “I’m not upset about his [Shakib’s] performance, but our overall performance. We all know what he is capable of,” Hathurusinghe said.
After the first Test, Bangladesh National Cricket Team selector Hannan Sarkar said that Shakib could play solely as a batsman if the situation arises.
“Shakib is such a player that if he can’t bowl, he could play as a batter. If he feels he can’t bat or bowl then it’s a different scenario. We are heading to Kanpur tomorrow (Tuesday) and today is a day off. We will have two sessions afterwards and we will judge after that (regarding Shakib’s availability in second Test) and we don’t want to make a decision yet,” said Sarkar to reporters in Chennai, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The Bangladeshi team management insist Shakib was fully fit before the Chepauk match. The all-rounder had sent down more than 63 overs in a County Championship game for Surrey before heading over to India. Sarkar confirmed Shakib began to feel pain when bowling in the first Test.
“We know the pain in his hand is being discussed. It was not there before the match and many have tried to explain it in different ways. But before the match, we got a 100 percent clearance from the physio before taking him. He was a 100 percent fit then,” said Hannan.
“You can’t say it’s an injury. The discomfort he felt in that finger was not there before the match. He felt that when he started to bowl,” he continued.
Shakib needs huge improvement with the bat if he plays 2nd Test against India
If Shakib does play solely as a batter, he needs to improve his output significantly. Since the start of 2018, Shakib has scored 1,006 Test runs at an average of 32.5 with nine fifties in 32 innings. His previous 3,594 runs came at an average of 40.4 with 22 fifties and five hundreds, the last of which came in Sri Lanka in 2017.
This year, Shakib has struck just 146 runs in seven innings at an average of 24.3. While he looked solid at times in Chennai – particularly in the first innings – Shakib’s tendency to give his wicket away is something the Tigers need him to avoid if they are to match it with a strong Indian team.
