ICC World Cup 2023: Shakib’s short-ball woes proceed as Bangladesh falls in need of expectations once more

Neither a prolonged web session below lights on the eve of the match towards Pakistan nor a controversial journey again residence through the course of the lads’s ODI World Cup to coach together with his childhood mentor proved useful for Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan as he perished to yet one more brief ball on Tuesday.

For a passing second, it did appear Shakib (43, 64b, 4×4) would pull his staff throughout to a ‘safe’ 250-plus rating on a sluggish, gripping monitor in Kolkata. He momentarily wakened the 27,940-strong Eden Gardens crowd from its slumber with three back-to-back fours within the thirty seventh over. At that time, it had been 53 deliveries for the reason that ball final rolled all the way down to the fence.

But it was 33-year-old Iftikhar Ahmed, a batting all-rounder armed with a helpful off-spin, who was bearing the brunt. It meant Shakib was in acquainted waters. The inside-out raise over cowl, the audacious sweep, and the punch straight down the bottom have been all on superb show.

Against tempo, Shakib has struggled to the extent that the No. 1 all-rounder within the 50-over format shockingly finds his title on the very high of the checklist of batters who’ve the worst common versus quick bowlers in CWC23 (minimal 60 balls confronted).

Shakib’s 8.3 would have caught out like a sore thumb on the checklist if not for the presence of English superstars Jos Buttler (13.2, 5 dismissals) and Ben Stokes (12.7, three outs) within the high 5. In the six World Cup video games he has performed to date, he has all the time been despatched again to the hut by a pacer.

Having confronted 156 brief balls within the 2019 males’s World Cup, Shakib had scored 160 runs. And he wasn’t dismissed even as soon as. When Bangladesh’s rating breached the 100-run mark towards Pakistan on Tuesday, Shakib had scored 21 off 26 brief balls in India 2023. He has fallen to the brief supply 5 instances now, arguably probably the most outstanding of those dismissals coming towards Afghanistan. His set off motion on the again foot had him slash onerous at a slower bouncer from Azmatullah Omarzai. As a outcome, a thick top-edge ballooned to Fazalhaq Farooqi at deep square-leg.

So, what went improper? According to former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, Shakib’s tendency to experience the bounce with onerous fingers coupled with an ungainly swivel pull is usually what has been inflicting his undoing these days. And there are two strategies to take care of the nagging difficulty.

The first, a defensive strategy, is what we had typically seen Virender Sehwag do. The former Indian batter used to stretch himself to satisfy the rising ball with a straight bat pointing downward.

An aggressive strategy would require one to get behind the road of the ball shortly earlier than pulling with smooth fingers. It is just not a simple talent to grasp, West Indies’ 2016 T20 World Cup star Carlos Brathwaite tells  Sportstar. “I was never good against the short ball, mate. I always found it difficult to play,” he says. 

But surprisingly, Shakib himself had arrange a masterclass in the identical method again within the first ODI towards New Zealand in 2016 in Christchurch. Although he scored 59, Bangladesh went on to lose the sport by 77 runs, it was a reminiscence that may linger.

He will probably be dealing with the Kiwis as soon as once more when the World Cup concludes, however this time it gained’t be towards the picture-postcard hilly backdrop of the Hagley Oval. The New Zealand staff will journey to Bangladesh for 2 Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is between November 28 and December 31.

As issues stand, the Bangla Tigers are out of rivalry for a spot within the CWC23 semifinal, having suffered six straight defeats. They are additionally prone to miss out on a Champions Trophy 2025 berth, the match after which Shakib had deliberate to hold his boots.

If Shakib continues to play after the continued World Cup, the 36-year-old will hope to by some means restore the chinks in his armour as shortly as attainable.