Former Indian batter and cricket expert, Virender Sehwag, has delivered a blistering assessment of Bangladesh's ace all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, following his dismal performance against South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Sehwag's scathing criticism of Shakib has created a stir in the cricket world after Bangladesh failed to chase down a modest target of 114 runs in a crucial group D match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa on June 10 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Sehwag didn’t mince words and has openly questioned the role and capabilities of Shakib Al Hasan, claiming that his inclusion in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad was based more on past glories than current form.
He said that Shakib, despite his vast experience, failed to show the composure and technique expected of a player of his stature against South Africa.
He also questioned the leadership and mentoring role expected of Shakib as a senior player.
The former Indian opener's blunt comparison to cricketing legends like Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist was a stark reminder of the high standards international cricket demands, as Sehwag slammed Shakib for losing his wicket while playing a pull shot off a short ball against South Africa.
The cricket pundit said that Shakib is just an ordinary Bangladeshi player and he didn't need to play that shot because it's not his specialty, if he were there, the Tiger could have won the game, having fallen short of just four runs against South Africa. He was dismissed for just three runs by Anrich Nortje.
Shakib Al Hasan should be ashamed of his recent T20 record: Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz: “If Shakib Al Hasan was included in the squad for experience, then we were not able to see it. At least spend some time at this wicket, it is not like you are not Hayden or Gilchrist who can play a pull shot of a short ball, you are just a player from Bangladesh. Play according to your standards. When you are not able to play hook or pull, so just play the strokes that you know.”
Shakib failed to live up to expectations in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup, scoring 131 runs in 2021 and 44 runs in 2022, and his struggles continue in the ongoing edition of the prestigious tournament. Given that, Sehwag bluntly said that Shakib should be ashamed of his numbers.
Sehwag signed off by saying, “I felt that Shakib's time in T20 cricket was up a long time back, during the last T20 World Cup. He has been captain for such a long time, he is such a senior player, and after that, if your numbers are like these, he should be ashamed of it, right?”
Notably, Bangladesh is currently behind table topper South Africa in the Group D point table with two points from their two games, and now they will have to win their remaining two games to progress further in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean.
Source: Cricket Addictor
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