All stars are shining on Shakib at the moment. The ace Bangladesh all-rounder is showing magic with batting alongside doing well with the ball in successive matches in the ongoing ICC World Cup. The situation is like that every time Shakib enters the crease, he mesmerizes the audience with his spontaneous flowery stroke play. Not only is Shakib reaching personal milestones in every match, but he is earning fortune for his team as well.
In the 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, Shakib has been tournament’s best player so far with his brilliant bowling and elegant batting. He is the leading run getter in the tournament with 384 runs after playing four matches. He has played superb knocks of 75, 64, 121 and 124* against South Africa, New Zealand, England and West Indies respectively. Also, a handy haul of five wickets from four games shows what a stunning World Cup he is having.
On Monday’s emphatic seven-wicket win over the Windies in Taunton, Shakib yet again made his country proud with his all-round performance. The pivotal win against Windies put Tigers on fifth spot in the table, keeping their semifinals dream of the World Cup very much alive. Bangladesh powered to the second highest run chase in World Cup history as Shakib’s brilliant unbeaten 124 clinched a remarkable win after West Indies scored 321. Shakib and Liton Das showed that Windies total was nowhere near enough with their sublime display. Bangladesh won the match with astonishing 51 balls to spare.
However, at one stage Tigers were wobbling at 133/3 after 19 overs. Difficult situations call for extraordinary measures and it was fittingly Shakib Al Hasan who did something out of the ordinary and showed his class. A stunning 199-run partnership off 135 balls between Shakib and Liton Das spurred Tigers towards victory. Shakib blasted 124 from 99 balls and Liton hit a superb 94 from 69 deliveries. Shakib not only shone with the bat but also scalped two wickets by giving away 54 runs in 8 overs. Shakib’s unbeaten 124 included stunning 16 fours, while Liton, playing his first World Cup match, bludgeoned 8 fours and 4 maximums.
During the match, Shakib also reached the landmark of 6000 runs in ODI cricket and became the fastest cricketer to score 6000 runs and take 250 wickets. He achieved this feat within 202 matches. He started the game with just 23 runs shy off the personal achievement. He then reached the milestone in the 15th over of the match. The 32-year-old became the second Bangladesh player to pass 6,000 runs in ODIs after Tamim Iqbal.
In Shakib’s brilliant 124*, he showed great maturity and as a key player took responsibility on his shoulders. The Windies bowlers kept bowling short to him but he pulled and cut them relentlessly in all parts of the ground. He was in total control and Shakib’s brilliant hitting also brought the moral down of Caribbean bowlers.
After Monday’s performance, Bangladesh’s win showed the world that Tigers can now chase big totals with ease. Those days of dismantling Tigers with constant bouncers are long gone. It now became a myth.
