Bangladesh

Shakib al Hasan’s Test double hundred and its perfect ending

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< 1 minute read

Sometimes we forget that you haven’t all been reading this website since day dot. It’s been over a decade since we tipped Shakib al Hasan for greatness so chances are a great many of you won’t know what a big deal it is that he made a Test double hundred against New Zealand this week.

If Shakib’s still not exactly a household name, he was all but unknown back when we tipped him. We’re talking Cricinfo-didn’t-even-know-his name obscure. Was he Sakib al Hasan, Shakib al Hasan or Saqibul Hasan? Having already used up our full allocation of precognition, we initially went with Sakib al Hasan before switching to Saqibul Hasan when it seemed more likely that was the one that would stick.

Cricinfo also had him down as a medium-pacer back then. We did at least work out that that one was wrong.

After 217 off 276 balls, Shakib’s Test batting average is now 41.39. That’s unspectacular in isolation, but combine it with a bowling average of 32.37 and it’s actually really rather special.

Shakib also saw fit to draw his innings to a close by succumbing to another Cricketer of the Realm, The Great Neil Wagner. Test innings don’t come much better than that.

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10 comments

  1. I was sorely tempted to put in a request for a piece more or less exactly like this one, when I saw Shakib’s first innings batting outcome on the scorecard for this match.

    But what would have been the point?

    You don’t do requests, KC.

  2. Great day for TGNW 44 overs of running in hard into the wind.

    If it wasn’t for this meddling kid I would have been able to go.

  3. Cricinfo commentary alleges that Wagner bowled 35 short-pitched deliveries in a row during the second day. You rather know what you’ll get from him.

    In fairness Wagner may have been bowling what is usually a good length, but happened to be bowling to Mushfiqur Rahim.

  4. An article on your ‘random selection of articles’ bit (Julius Caesar was a cricketer) has just made me realise my age. I remember that article which means I was reading this site in 2007. If asked I would have hazarded a guess of 2012 as my initiation into your kingdom but not the case. 10 years (possibly plus) have gone and you have made me feel old. Thanks.

    Amused but still old.

    1. Can’t find any comments from you before 2010. Either you lurked for a long period or you’ve already followed a link back to the Julius Caesar article, long after it was written.

      1. Ah good point. That immediately means I can feel 3 years younger than I did when I wrote my earlier comment. Excellent.

        As to the lurking I can’t really comment…

  6. Well this was a great test for Bangladesh; their second-highest-ever test total, highest test partnership and highest individual test innings, all achieved away from home against a competent if not amazing Kiwi side (albeit one containing TGNW); a great way to build on their best result so far, against England in the autumn. At the very least they could be assured of a solid draw and the chance to build on the positive progress in next game.

    Oh.

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