Last chance for Shakib to right the wrongs of 2011

Before the World Cup, there is the Asia Cup. In between the Asia Cup and the World Cup there is a three-match ODI series against New Zealand. As that series is sandwiched between two important tournaments, it’s not getting much attention. But that series is also in the agenda of ODI captain Shakib.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president has left some ambiguity over whether or not Shakib will remain as the captain in all three formats after the World Cup. Shakib’s frequent stints in franchise leagues all around the world and the pressure of captaining the side in all three formats are the reasons behind this ambiguity. Even if his ability to expertly balance his on and off the field engagements says otherwise, his age can’t be ignored. He crossed 36 last month.

Whether Shakib can do it or not, that can be discussed at some other time. For now, the bigger relief is that with less than two months to go before the World Cup, the drama surrounding captaincy has finally reached its conclusion. To talk about the captaincy drama, one has to inevitably talk about Tamim Iqbal’s resignation as captain on 3 August or about his shock retirement from cricket about a month before. From the day Tamim stepped down as captain, it was quite obvious that the ODI crown will be given to Shakib, making him the holder of the triple crown. All everyone was waiting for was the official announcement.

That announcement too came after its fair share of drama. Usually in cricket, captaincy changes are declared in a grand manner. And in this case, cricket’s grandest event, the World Cup, is also attached. Naturally, it was expected that the new captain will be announced in a press conference. This is the norm in cricket. But the news of Shakib becoming captain came from the garage of the BCB president’s residence. That too without informing all journalists beforehand. The press release from the BCB came much later. But just like Shakib’s appointment as captain, this can’t be termed as a big surprise. In the past few years, many important decisions of Bangladesh cricket have come from the car park of the BCB president’s Gulshan residence.

When it was announced that Shakib will be the ODI captain once again after 12 years, the all-rounder was in Sri Lanka. He also had a match at the Lankan Premier League (LPL) on Friday night. In the BCB press release, there was a statement from the BCB president but there was no reaction from Shakib. An attempt to get Shakib’s reaction personally also came up short. A congratulatory message was sent to Shakib on Whatsapp, to which the all-rounder’s response was a simple ‘Thank you.’ Even though Shakib has a reputation of being emotionally detached, there is no way that Shakib was completely untouched by the joy of leading the country in a World Cup. Especially, as his previous experience as a captain in a World Cup wasn’t too pleasant.

He was also the captain in the 2011 World Cup. As Bangladesh was one of the hosts in that World Cup, the World Cup frenzy had taken over the entire country. Shakib’s Bangladesh won three matches, which included a remarkable victory over England as well. But the agony of getting bundled out for 58 against the West Indies in Mirpur and getting all out for 78 against South Africa all but completely diminished joy of that victory.

Shakib, enraged by the criticisms of the former cricketers after the World Cup, wrote a scathing column in Prothom Alo which further fueled the fire. In the last World Cup of his career, after a surprising turn of events, Shakib is once again the captain. It’s natural that Shakib will be dreaming to get rid of all controversies and disappointments of the 2011 World Cup.