Shakib's batting form shouldn't be a concern for Bangladesh

Shakib al Hasan is one of the best all-rounders to play the T20 format with some mentionable achievements. 

Although he has always been a brilliant bowler pitching it in the good areas and being able to deceive the batsmen through his clever bowling, he hasn’t been among the best T20 batsmen around. 

His form as a T20 batsman has been concerning in the recent past, as the stats suggest. 

Shakib's T20 averages in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 are 21.5, 21.8, 21.7, 20.0, 12.2 and 12.7 respectively. His average seems to be on the decline and his T20 strike rate of 122.2 doesn’t help either. 

While his recent bowling stats are quite brilliant as his economies in 2020 and 2021 were 6.00 and 6.80 respectively, his batting form is definitely a matter of concern for Bangladesh. 

Shakib is a batsman who doesn’t rely on his big-hitting abilities. He rather likes to find the gaps playing his favourite square-cut, driving it through the covers and playing it in the V. He lofts it well through the mid-wicket as well. 

If an early wicket falls, Shakib can come in at number 3 and keep the scoreboard ticking, hitting some valuable boundaries. Even his stats have been better while he played in the mentioned position in T20Is. His batting averages playing at No. 3, 4 and 5 are 29.18, 22.36 and 14.22 respectively. 47.06 per cent runs of his T20I career have come batting at number 3.

In the 10 T20I matches that Bangladesh played against Australia and New Zealand this year, an early wicket fell in 7 matches, which explains how likely Bangladesh can be to get to a one-down score in the upcoming big matches. Situations like these are perfect for Shakib to start playing with responsibility.

Also, Shakib will be going into the super 12 with huge confidence and his batting form seems somewhat regained as he scored two consecutive crucial knocks against Oman (42 off 29) and PNG (46 off 37).

Shakib Al Hasan was the best batsman of Bangladesh and the tournament in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 with his truckload of runs. He has somehow managed to explode during the big occasions for Bangladesh. 

Although he has been a bit shaky recently, he can surely turn things around in a stage like the World Cup.

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