After Bangladesh's shaky start in the ongoing World Cup 2023, Shakib Al Hasan turned to his childhood coach Nazmul Abedin Fahim in Dhaka.
In a bid to refine his leg-side gameplay to regain his form, Shakib returned to Dhaka on October 25 to train under his long-time mentor. Having groomed Shakib since his formative years at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), Nazmul has been instrumental in enhancing Shakib's game.
However, when the Bangladesh skipper was exiting the BCB academy premises, a section of fans gave Shakib a very untoward experience by booing him with chants of 'bhoa-bhoa-bhoa (fake) showing their growing impatience and frustrations with the team's continuous flop show in the World Cup.
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The soul purpose behind Shakib's training was to hone his leg-side gameplay. Opposition teams seem to have recognised and capitalised on Shakib's weaknesses in recent matches.
Elaborating on this, coach Nazmul said, “What I feel is that his range of shots was limited (against New Zealand). He was not given the ball outside the off stumps, no cuts or drives if you have noticed. He was trying to play on the on-side because he was given on that line.”
"Spinners throughout bowled within the stump and leg stump line, and he was stuck, which ultimately forced him to play over the top and he was successful to a certain extent. But I think his main shots are on the off-side and they have got stuck by bowling on the leg side and forcing him to play on the leg side and I think that is the reason he was not scoring quickly enough or safely enough," he added.
Meanwhile, Shakib has rejoined the national squad in Kolkata ahead of their upcoming World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands. The Bangladesh team, facing virtual elimination from the semifinals race after four consecutive losses, is scheduled to meet the Netherlands in a bottom-of-the-table clash at the iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Bangladesh's journey in this World Cup began promisingly with a victory against Afghanistan at the HPCA Stadium. However, this initial spark was short-lived. The Tigers faced consecutive defeats against India, New Zealand, England, and South Africa. Shakib's personal performance has mirrored the team's struggle. The southpaw has so far accumulated just 56 runs from four matches, averaging at 14, and a top score of just 40.
Currently, Bangladesh are reeling at the eights spot in the points table with with only two points and a discouraging net run rate of -1.902.
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