Following objections about the former lawmaker’s inclusion, Bangladesh’s cricket skipper expressed confidence on Tuesday that star all-arounder Shakib Al Hasan will perform at his peak in a Test match against Pakistan this week.
Shakib, 37, was a member of the parliament of Bangladesh, which was dissolved at the beginning of the month. Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister, was forced to leave the nation at that time due to widespread protests.
Shakib, who has not commented on the political situation, was granted permission by the interim administration last week to participate in the two Test matches against Pakistan, the first of which begins on Wednesday.
He has played this game for a very long time, so he is familiar with his job and how to get ready. At a press conference, Bangladeshi captain and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto stated, “I am not thinking about his political career.”
Shanto responded, “I don’t think so because he is a professional cricketer, we all treat him as a cricketer, to be honest,” when asked if Shakib’s performance would be impacted by the political setback.
He continued, “I’m hoping he’ll do something amazing in this series.”
With 4,505 runs in 67 Test matches, Shakib is Bangladesh’s main all-around player. He also has the most wickets (237) of any Bangladeshi bowler in Test cricket.
Shakib’s continued selection in the team sparked protests among Bangladeshis in Dhaka, and former member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Rafiqul Islam criticized him for remaining mute as demonstrators were killed in skirmishes with security personnel.
Following his appearance in the Global T20 League in Canada, where he was also subjected to taunts from Bangladeshis, Shakib became a member of the Pakistani team last week.
The team was unable to come together for practice because of the violence in Dhaka.
The Pakistan Cricket Board allowed the tourists to arrive four days early in order to make up for their lack of preparation, which gave them a little relief.
Despite this, Shanto remained optimistic that Bangladesh, who had lost 12 of the previous 13 Tests against Pakistan and only managed a tie, could break their miserable record.
“I hope we play some good cricket, and we have a balanced side,” Shanto stated. “We think we can do some special things, but it’s not easy to change the record,” the speaker said.
Rain is expected over the next five days, posing a threat to the Rawalpindi Test. On August 30, the second Test will take place in the same venue.
