Shakib Al Hasan Career

Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh's all-format captain [X.com]

Widely recognised as one of the greatest all-rounders in global cricket, Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan's skills as both a batter and bowler put him leaps above the rest.

Born on 24 March 1987, Hasan displayed cricketing prowess quite early in his childhood and was called upon by various villages to play locally.  As a youngster, Hasan tried bowling fast and experimented with spin bowling, which later became his main weapon.

The gritty player made instant inroads in international cricket and soon found himself crowned as the number-one all-rounder as early as 2009.

Early Days of Shakib Al Hasan's Cricket Journey

A tape-ball player, Hasan's first run-in with a cricket ball was a success while turning up for Islampur, and soon found himself in training at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan for six months. 

Having made his First-Class debut in 2005, the all-rounder shined with his batting and was soon playing under-19 cricket for Bangladesh, where, in 18 youth ODIs, Hasan scored 563 runs and claimed 22 wickets, including three fifties and one hundred.   

Riding back on stellar domestic showings, Hasan played his maiden ODI for Bangladesh in 2006 and was an instant hit scoring crucial 30 runs in his side's win.

A T20I debut followed soon, as the all-rounder displayed an outstanding showing against Zimbabwe.  In a span of one year, Hasan turned up in whites for Bangladesh, taking on India in a Test in 2007. 

Gaining Success Across Formats

Hasan was granted a rookie BCB central contract, the player was included in Bangladesh's 2007 World Cup squad.  The highly talented player stockpiled 202 runs and picked up seven wickets while playing an important role in the win over India. 

Hasan's breakthrough tournament was the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, where his bowling outfoxed opponents and showed the world how a spinner can be effective in the shortest format as well.

ODI Stardom

Shakib Al Hasan in action [X.com]

The all-rounder first blossomed in ODIs before making a name for himself in Test and T20Is.  The bowling failed to create much impact on the international level early on, where the batting side of Hasan's all-rounding skills dominated.

 In 2008, Hasan's bowling started to reach new heights, with the management opting to play the player as a specialist.  As a bowler, Hasan found stardom after the South Africa ODI tour, where his finger spin nabbed 11 wickets.

With confidence in his bowling, Hasan's batting bloomed in subsequent series. Hasan became the world's number-one ranked ICC All-Rounder in January 2009.

The batter displayed an outstanding showing against New Zealand in ODIs in 2010, scoring 213 runs and claiming 11 wickets.  As a captain, Hasan led Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup, where they registered wins over England, Ireland, and Netherlands. 

By 2011, Hasan became Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in ODI. During the 2015 World Cup, Hasan became the -then highest run-getter in ODIs for Bangladesh and soon became the fastest and youngest player to claim 200 wickets and score 4,000 runs.

Hasan's most glorious performance came in the 2019 World Cup, where the left-handed middle-order batter singlehandedly kept Bangladesh's batting afloat.

From being an instincty player, Hasan matured into a well-oiled machine and looked to grind for runs, which saw the all-rounder finish with 606 runs in the tournament.  Against South Africa, Hasan became the fastest all-rounder to 250 and 5,000 ODI wickets and runs, respectively.

Based on his ODI exploits between September 2011 and December 2020, where the all-rounder scored 2,011 runs and claimed 97 wickets, the Bangladesh player was named in the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Decade.

Notable Mention

Hasan's 75 vs South Africa, 2019 CWC - Hasan starred for Bangladesh against South Africa in an all-important World Cup 2019 encounter. Hasan played the role of an anchor, scoring 75 runs off 84 balls, with eight fours and one six, taking pressure off other batters. With the ball, Hasan claimed the key wicket of Aiden Markram. 

Hasan's 124* vs West Indies, 2019 CWC - With Bangladesh chasing a mammoth 322 against West Indies in CWC 2019, Hasan utilised his red-hot form to perfection. The batter coming into bat at No.3, started attacking from the get-go and scored a majestic 124* laced with 16 fours, helping Bangladesh cross the finish line in the 41st over. 

With the ball, Hasan picked two wickets in the form of Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran. 

Overall, Hasan in 238 ODIs, has scored 7,301 runs and picked with 307 wickets, which include five ton and four five-wicket hauls.