Spotlight on off-colour Shakib amid injury murmurs

Lack of overs and suggestions that he is struggling with multiple injuries have raised questions about Shakib Al Hasan‘s appearance in the ongoing Chennai Test against India. Shakib, who on Saturday became Bangladesh’s oldest Test cricketer, bowled seven overs on the third day after captain Najmul Hossain Shanto brought him into the attack belatedly. Shakib was uncharacteristically poor, with Rishabh Pant hitting him for six fours and two sixes.

Shakib eventually finished with the most expensive match figures of his Test career. It was also only the fifth time that Shakib had gone wicketless in a Test after bowling at least 20 overs. As Shanto kept him off the attack for most of the morning session on Saturday, Murali Kartik, the former Indian left-arm spinner, said on air that Shakib had informed him about discomfort on his spinning finger and shoulder.

“Having seen him and known him for such a long period of time, I did go up to him and ask the reason why he has not bowled enough,” Kartik said. “And the thing which he said to me is something I completely resonate with. He’s had a finger surgery on his bowling finger which is the point of his finger of his left hand. It is swollen, it is rigid, there’s no movement no suppleness to it. So he feels he is not getting any feeling out of it. As a spinner you need the feeling. Also he is having issues with his shoulder so it’s a combination of both and it’s tough to bowl in Test cricket where you need that feel as a spinner.”

Shakib sustained the left index finger injury during Bangladesh’s World Cup match against Sri Lanka last year. He also missed the match against India during the same tournament due to a shoulder injury. The finger injury kept him out of action for a few months, and then Shakib also had an eye problem that prolonged his absence from the Bangladesh team.

Tamim Iqbal later said on air that if Bangladesh have knowingly picked Shakib despite the discomfort in his spinning finger, then the visitors are playing with a bowler short.

“Murali Kartik said that Shakib is having trouble gripping the ball due this finger injury. If that’s the case, Bangladesh are playing with four frontline bowlers. The team management should inform whether they knew about this injury or not,” Tamim said.

BCB’s chief physician Dr Debashish, however, said that they are not aware of any discomfort for Shakib due to the finger or shoulder injury.

“Shakib had a fracture in his finger from the World Cup in India,” he said. “Before that, he had an infection from another finger injury a few years ago. Shakib though hasn’t recently complained about a finger or shoulder injury. A broken finger however can cause discomfort.”

There’s some concern that Shakib may have overextended himself in recent weeks. He bowled 63.2 overs for Surrey during a county match in Taunton last week. He had left for the UK from Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan, played the game, and then reached Chennai one day before the first Test.

Besides failing to take a wicket in the Test, Shakib got out to an untimely reverse sweep shortly after Litton Das got out in the first innings. Shakib is also trying something new in his batting approach, biting down on a strap around his neck apparently to keep his head from falling over when playing the ball.