Shakib Al Hasan has always been one of the team’s most enthusiastic players in summer football. This day is no exception. He was the first to be seen practicing football at the Sylhet International Stadium on Friday morning. He also excelled in football matches. Later, he hit a free hand big shot at the center wicket on one side. Although he bowled at the beginning of the net, he went to bat at the very end of practice. From the net session, there was no idea of his possible batting position in the match.
Although captain Tamim Iqbal has said a few days ago, Shakib will be seen batting at number four or five in the ODI team. However, he has batted in three different positions in the last two series. This time there is some curiosity about the position in the series against Ireland.
Before the start of the series, however, the heated discussion about Shakib across the country was due to off-field reasons. There is a storm of controversy due to the inauguration of the shop of the accused in the murder case named Aarav Khan in Dubai. However, controversy is not new in his career. As usual, he didn’t seem too upset. As always, he was immersed in his work on the field.
He is the best performer of the team in bat and ball. The team will want him at his best in the series against Ireland. He has also shown many times before that he shines even better on the field during off-field controversies. It wouldn’t be surprising if something like that happens in this series too.
He has performed with the bat in three-four-five, in all positions. In the previous series, he played two innings of 58 and 75 runs against England, dropping to number five. There should be no question about his batting position. He has batted most innings in his career at number 5 position.
However, the question remains for the sake of reality. His performance at number three is extraordinary! He scored 1,539 runs in 36 innings at an average of 49.64 and a strike rate of 86.80. His best average and highest strike rate is at this position.
Since starting in 2018, his consistency has been excellent. In the 2019 World Cup, he showed an amazing performance of 606 runs at an average of 86.57 and a strike rate of 96.03 in this position. Last year too, Bangladesh started the series by winning the first ODI in South Africa with his brilliant innings.
Shakib has the highest number of runs and the best batting average of Bangladesh at number three in ODIs.