6-shooter Shakib puts Tigers on top
SENSATIONAL SHAKIB: Spinner Shakib Al Hasan (in the foreground) goes on a celebratory lap after taking yet another New Zealand wicket as teammates rush to congratulate him on the second day of the first Test at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday. He took six wickets for 31 runs in 24 miserly overs.Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder
After the second day's play of the first Test against New Zealand, Shakib Al Hasan took very little time to tell everyone that he is playing this game as a spinner first and then a batsman.
In the 19th over and the game truly in the balance, Shakib pitched the ball just a shade inside the line of off-stump and then it turned and beat Ross Taylor's outside edge, the furniture and Mushfiqur Rahim's gloves. He did the same with Brendon McCullum once again and later in the day, made Jeetan Patel's leave look a tad foolish. None of these deliveries brought him a wicket but this is how a good bowling performance comes from.
It is a superstition among some spinners that good deliveries don't necessarily get you wickets, it merely adds to the pressure and builds up a great bowling performance. Shakib's 6-31 was indeed a great bowling performance by a Bangladeshi in international scene after a long time.
His mesmerising spell after a morning disappointment that saw the home side lose their last six wickets in a fashion that they are infamous for turned the match on its head. And it was only fitting for Shakib to lead the Tigers off the field leaving the Kiwis in tatters with 155-9.
Shakib did not make it turn out of bounds but did enough to make a top-order light on experience look vulnerable on a wicket that deteriorated as the day progressed.
“I don't know about the other bowlers but I found the wicket very helpful as there was turn and bounce,” said the 21-year-old.
“It was not uneven bounce and I think luck also had a big role to play,” added Shakib.
He began his work on the two New Zealand openers -- Jamie How and Aaron Redmond -- in their first major trip to the sub-continent. Both batsmen failed to read Shakib's length and paid the price. Debutant Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum were too extravagant for that early in an innings with the latter playing the worst shot of the day -- a nothing, one-handed flay at a pitched up delivery that ended up being an easy catch for mid-on. Shakib accounted for both the aggressive batsmen but his most satisfying scalp was none other than the towering Jacob Oram.
“I think the wicket of Jacob Oram was the vital one, albeit a bit lucky,” said the mild-mannered Magura boy who had the number one all-rounder in the world caught at short mid-wicket.
Although Vettori had to endure watching his team fall into a quagmire that is 100 for seven, he couldn't help but like what he saw from the Tigers left-arm spinner.
“Shakib was outstanding and unfortunately, we played into his plans,” said the left-arm spinner who has 262 Test wickets to his name after snaring five earlier in the day.
“He bowled exceptionally well. I think his style of bowling is very well suited to the pitch and I don't think he even bowled a bad ball,” said a clearly impressed Vettori.
Chief selector Rafiqul Alam described the performance as 'outstanding' and said that it was just a reward for the man who, in his words, 'has been the go-to guy for us in the last one year'.
Shakib believed that his duty was to be a spinning all-rounder than a batsman in this Test.
“I know that I am a batsman and maybe I would value a big score like 70-odd more than a five-for, but what I did today [Saturday] was important for the team,” said Shakib, undaunted by his poor average in this form of the game.
“I targetted good areas and the wickets were a bonus and I didn't really expect it to be so well,” added the left-armer.
While all this had happened, he certainly didn't think that the bowling part would be transcended but later proclaimed it to be the happiest part of the day.
“I think I am happier with the catch than the wickets,” he said of the low, diving effort at the end of the day that summed up the day for Bangladesh: unpredictable; satisfying.
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