Shakib Al Hasan was Man of the Match for his all-round performance against Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP It was already known that 2023 World Cup will be the last World Cup for Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib’s leadership went to Bangladesh to play that World Cup. Bangladesh will officially play the last match of this year’s World Cup against Australia on November 11. And Shakib’s World Cup ended before Bangladesh’s World Cup mission ended. Bangladesh’s Bahati spinning all-rounder has to return home early in this World Cup due to injury. This is how Shakib’s World Cup ended with one record after another.
In 2006, at the age of 19, Shakib started his journey in international cricket. The next year he got a chance in the 2007 World Cup. Shakib’s World Cup campaign began at the age of 20 with a match against India in Port of Spain. Shakib’s fifty came in the historic 5-wicket win against India. Scored 53 runs off 86 balls with 5 fours and 1 six. However, he did not see a wicket in that match. Then the Bangladesh left-arm spinning all-rounder got the first wicket of his World Cup career in the same match against Sri Lanka. Got his first wicket in the World Cup by dismissing one of Sri Lanka’s best batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene.
In the 2007 World Cup, Bangladesh had to beat Bermuda to go to the Super Eight. Shakib bowled brilliantly in that match in Port of Spain. He took 2 wickets with 12 runs after bowling 3 overs. Bangladesh confirmed the Super Eight by winning by 7 wickets in the rain. After India, Bangladesh showed the second surprise in that World Cup by defeating South Africa. Bangladesh won by 87 runs against the Proteas in the Super Eight match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. In that match, Shakib took important 2 wickets of Mark Boucher and Justin Kemp, two Protea batsmen. He got one more fifty in that World Cup after India. However, Shakib’s unbeaten innings of 57 off 95 balls against England collapsed as Bangladesh lost by 4 wickets. He scored 202 runs at an average of 28.85 and a strike rate of 57.22 in his first World Cup. And bowling took 7 wickets at 4.96 economy.
Shakib Al Hasan has done a great all-round performance in the 2019 World Cup. Photo: AFP In 2011, Shakib played in his second World Cup as captain. That match Bangladesh lost and won 3 matches. However, Bangladesh also has the embarrassing feat of being bowled out for 58 and 78 runs against West Indies and South Africa in that World Cup. He took 8 wickets at an economy rate of 4.81 in that World Cup. But Shakib could not do well in batting. After four years, Bangladesh went to play their fifth World Cup in Australia-New Zealand. This World Cup is still considered as the best World Cup in Bangladesh. Bangladesh confirmed the quarter finals of the World Cup by knocking out England. Shakib, who is going to play his third World Cup, was excellent in batting in this World Cup. He scored 196 runs at an average of 39.20 and a strike rate of 93.77. Scored two brilliant fifties against Afghanistan and Scotland.
With the change of venue in the 2019 World Cup, the format also changed. The World Cup held in England was in round robin format of 10 teams. Shakib was in superhuman form in this World Cup. He scored 606 runs at an average of 86.57 and a strike rate of 96.03 in batting. He played fifty-plus innings in 7 of the 8 matches that Bangladesh got a chance to play. South Africa, West Indies, Afghanistan – all the three matches that Bangladesh won, he was man of the match with a great all-round performance. Shakib’s 119-ball 121-run innings against England in Cardiff was Shakib’s first century of his World Cup career. Then Shakib became the second Bangladeshi to score a century in two consecutive matches by scoring a century against the West Indies. South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan – made fifty in five matches. Shakib became the first Bangladeshi to take 5 wickets in an innings with 5 wickets against Afghanistan. He has taken 11 wickets at an economy rate of 5.39 in this World Cup.
Shakib Al Hasan got two fifties in the 2015 World Cup. Photo: AFP Like the 2019 World Cup, the 2023 World Cup is being held in a round robin format with 10 teams. Shakib played as the captain of Bangladesh in this World Cup held in India. Being in Asian conditions, the fans’ expectations from Shakib were a little higher. However, the ‘captain leading from the front’ could not be the left-handed spin bowling all-rounder of Bangladesh. The performance of the team was also disappointing. But the disappointing World Cup is somewhat memorable for Shakib. He scored 82 runs off 65 balls with 13 fours and 2 sixes against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi yesterday. Which is his first fifty in this World Cup. Apart from excellent batting, he was man of the match with 2 wickets. Shakib won his first and last two matches in the World Cup with Bangladesh winning by 3 wickets.
From 2007 to 2023-5 World Cup, he scored 1332 runs in 36 matches at an average of 41.62 and a strike rate of 82.27. He is number 7 in the list of run scorers in the World Cup. He played 13 fifty innings with 2 centuries and 11 fifties. Shakib is behind Sachin Tendulkar (21) and Virat Kohli (14) in the record of playing 50th innings. And in bowling, he took 43 wickets at an economy of 5.14 in his World Cup career. Among the spinners, Shakib is only surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan who took 68 wickets in the World Cup.
