• Home
  • Cricket Analysis
  • 7 Years Since Last Century Shakib Al Hasan Suffers Steep Decline As A Test Batter

7 Years Since Last Century: Shakib Al Hasan Suffers Steep Decline As A Test Batter

Shakib Al Hasan's average has dropped in Test cricket (X.com)Shakib Al Hasan's average has dropped in Test cricket (X.com)

Shakib Al Hasan is arguably the greatest Bangladesh cricketer ever. His impact as an all-rounder across formats has been tremendous over the years, and he has played a significant role in Bangladesh's rise in world cricket over the last decade or so. The all-rounder is now 37 years old and is at the fag end of his career, and though he is still playing all three formats, his returns have dwindled in the recent past, especially as a batter in Test cricket.

Shakib Al Hasan made his Test debut in 2007 against India in Chattogram and has played 70 Test matches. He has scored 4600 runs in the format and picked 242 wickets, which makes him a genuine match-winner. However, as a batter, he has not been at his best in the format for quite a few years now. His current average in the format is 38.33 with the bat, and has five hundreds and one double-century against New Zealand in Wellington.

Dwindling Returns Of Shakib Al Hasan In Test Cricket

However, the southpaw's last century in the format came more than seven years ago against Sri Lanka in Colombo. It has been 37 innings since, and it is quite a long time for a top cricketer like Shakib Al Hasan, who has batted in 99 of his 128 innings at number 5 and number 6 in Test cricket. Also, from 2018, Shakib has hit only 9 fifties compared to 22 fifties and five hundreds he hit till 2017.

Year
Innings
Runs
Average
50s
100s
2007-17
963594
40.4225
2018-2432100632.590

Conclusion

Overall, in the 96 innings from his debut until 2017, Shakib Al Hasan scored 3594 runs at an average of 40.4, with 22 fifties and five hundreds. However, since 2018, he has scored his runs at an average of just 32.5 in the 32 innings, which has surely hampered his stature as a reliable batter in Test cricket. In 2024, his returns are even more concerning, with 146 runs in seven innings at an average of 24.3 and a highest score of just 36.

So, it is evident that Shakib Al Hasan has struggled with the bat in Test cricket for quite a few years now, and has declined as a Test batter.