Shakib leads from the front

Before Bangladesh's opening World Cup match against Afghanistan, there was apprehension about how well Shakib Al Hasan would handle the pressure as a captain.

The champion all-rounder has passed the opening test with flying colours by leading his side from the front to a comprehensive six-wicket winat the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala yesterday.

The game, as a contest, was all but over after Shakib led the bowling unit to skittle Afghanistan out for 156 in 34.4 overs.

He made the first breakthrough at a time when the two Afghanistan openers -- Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran -- had put on 47 runs in eight overs, negotiating the pacers well. He had Zadran caught in the deep for 22.

Shakib and off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz then combined to rip through an Afghan batting line-up that committed too many unforced errors against a disciplined spin attack. Shakib and Miraz evenly shared six wickets between them.

Although the three-pronged pace attack of Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman was guilty of erring in line and length in their first spells, they too came back strongly as the game progressed.

It was good to see Mustfizur recover his rhythm after being off-colour for most part of this year. He claimed the prized scalp of Gurbaz with a well-executed off-cutter. Taskin put his name on the wickets column by having veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi played-on while young left-arm pacer Shoriful, who struggled with his short-pitched deliveries early on, mopped up the tail to finish with two for 34 in 6.2 overs.

Shakib rotated his bowlers with aplomb and the catching and ground fielding were excellent too. It was one of those rare days when the Tigers did not spill a single catch on offer. Of the five catches, Tanzid's running effort from the deep was the most pleasing one.

Bangladesh took the gamble of having five bowlers to accommodate Mahmudullah as an extra batter against the Afghans. Thankfully, the ploy did not have any bearings in the game as Afghanistan were bundled out cheaply.

Mahmudullah bowled one over and conceded seven runs. He was also not required to bat down the order. But with the next game against defending champions England at the same ground on October 10, it might turn out to be a dangerous ploy, considering the batting firepower England possess.  

Besides, the opening conundrum has remained a cause for concern for the Tigers despite the easy victory.

On his World Cup debut, young opener Tanzid Hasan got himself run-out for five while looking for a non-existent single. His more experienced opening partner, Liton Das, was dismissed for 13, inside-edging a lazy drive off left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi.

The early dismissals of both openers had Bangladesh in a spot of bother at 27 for two inside the opening Powerplay -- a situation that has been more frequent in recent times. Thankfully, Miraz's chancy 57 and a solid unbeaten 59 from Najmul Hossain Shanto saw Bangladesh coast home without further damage.

But with bigger challenges ahead, the Tigers need their openers to fire if they are to do something special under the leadership of Shakib, who, despite having his shortcomings and controversies off the field, looked primed to emulate his magnificent exploits of the 2019 World Cup where he scored over 600 runs and took 11 wickets.