Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto lauded veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for putting up a stellar show on Day 5 of the Rawalpindi Test despite tensions back home due to a murder case filed against him back home. Shakib’s three-wicket haul helped Bangladesh cause a batting collapse and register their maiden Test win over Pakistan.
Shakib is among the 156 named in the murder case field by Rafiqul Islam, the father of Rubel, a garment factory worked in Dhaka's Abador. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) received a legal notice on August 24.
"When he takes the field to represent the country, from what I understand, he is very dedicated as a person. He does everything that's required to win. He pushes everything in his personal life to one side to think and focus on what he can do for the team, what he can do to help a junior cricketer and things like that. He can do these sorts of things in a unique way," Najmul in the post-match press conference.
"To be in a situation like that (being accused in a murder case) and still be able to bring out a performance like that and to give his inputs especially in bowling is outstanding. This is what we expect from him and hopefully in the next game we get something even better.”
Shakib's performance in historic Test win
Shakib bagged three crucial wickets including opener Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel and Naseem Shah. During the day’s play, he also lost his cool when Mohammad Rizwan took too much time to get ready. He threw the ball at the wicketkeeper in frustration and got a warning from umpire Richard Kettleborough as well.
Earlier, in Pakistan's first innings, he got the solitary wicket of Agha Salman. With the bat, he could not do much and had a soft dismissal against part-time spinner Saim Ayub. He scored 15 runs from 16 balls.
Shakib doubtful for next Test
Despite an impressive performance, Shakib who was a part of the Awami League Party is not confirmed to play in the second Test at the same venue starting August 30. A call will be taken by the board on August 26.
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