Home ›› 07 Apr 2023 ›› Sport
On the first day of the Test between Bangladesh and Ireland, there was a crowd of barely a thousand people. Yet, at the start of the 66th over, they made a noise.
The reason was simple yet extraordinary. Shakib Al Hasan had come to bowl for the very first time in the innings, and that lasted only three overs.
On the second day, Shakib was way more involved. He scored a brilliant 87 with the bat, and then in the late evening, he bowled seven overs and picked up two wickets to see Ireland end the day on 27-4.
It seemed like Shakib would continue on Thursday from where he left off the previous day as he took the ball in the first over and bowled two more.
However, that was just about it.
In the remainder of the day, Shakib only bowled three more overs in three spells and looked uninterested while fielding. He took a couple of breaks during fielding, one of which lasted around half an hour.
Why he did not bowl, ended up being a mystery as even Bangladesh fast-bowling coach Allan Donald had no idea why the Tigers’ skipper did not bowl.
“I must admit, I have no idea,” he said.
When questioned whether it was a fitness issue, Donald implied he did not think so.
“He seems fit. He came off a couple of times and just for bathroom breaks. But I’m not quite sure (why he did not bowl). I think he, you know, wanted to maybe give the attack a chance to go and do the job but I really don’t know why he hasn’t bowled enough today,” the South African said.
The Irish did not mind, though.
“He (Shakib) bowled beautifully last night. I can’t say I am disappointed that he didn’t bowl so much today. I am not going to question their decisions,” Ireland’s only centurion in this Test, Lorcan Tucker, said.
