Shakib Al Hasan returned to cricket in less than a day after winning the national elections for his Magura-1 seat.
After numerous national stars had already departed the indoor nets in Mirpur yesterday afternoon after their separate practices, the ace all-rounder arrived.
As a consequence, most media workers did the same. Shakib’s appearance so caught the remaining few off surprise, as they were about to leave the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) shortly.
But as soon as local news sites announced his visit, a crush of media representatives showed there and had to wait until dusk, when Shakib’s training came to an end.
Groundsmen showered him with garlands of flowers in congratulations. Shakib informed the groundsmen, “This is not politics,” preferring not to be considered a politician on Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) property. This is the ground used for cricket. I continue to occupy the same role as a cricket player.”
The instant he got out of his vehicle and brought a brand-new bat to the indoor nets, it was clear he was excited to get started in familiar terrain. Shakib’s batting practise was overseen by his boyhood tutor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, who had arrived moments before.
Since the ICC ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka, Shakib has been sidelined due to a finger injury. As a result, he was unable to play in the home Test series against New Zealand or the next white-ball tour to the country. He said in a recent interview with The Daily Star that his actions yesterday were a part of the process of getting back into play with the franchise-based Bangladesh Premier League, which is scheduled to start on January 19.
He had been quite busy with his political commitments while in Magura, but he also made an effort to maintain some physical activity by attending a few sessions there.
Yesterday was Shakib’s first time back in the nets, batting with cricket balls. Fahim told The Daily Star yesterday, “Yeah, no complaints regarding his finger while he was batting.”
“I haven’t seen him bowl yet, but I will know once he does. His hitting seemed to be excellent.”
Reporters were observing him intently from a distance, and the sound of his bat showed that he was relishing his return to cricket after the trials of politics.
“Certainly, given that he doesn’t have this type of break [in cricket activity], there may be uncertainties inside him. So, when he finds his stride, things go better quickly,” Fahim said in response to a question about whether improving his batting’s rustiness was on the cards.
The top-ranked all-rounder in the ODI and T20I rankings according to ICC arrived at the SBNCS field for some training drills. He sprinted across the grass, pausing between runs to collect his breath.
As part of his recovery from an injury to his left index finger, he also bowled a few deliveries with a soft ball by rotating his arm around.
The Daily Star was informed by a BCB representative that although there is residual discomfort in the finger, it is not significant since 70–80% of the pain has subsided.
“After a few weeks of being busy, he will now devote his time to strengthening his finger. He will be OK ahead of the BPL if he focuses on those issues since a significant amount of discomfort has subsided.”