Clicky
Sports, Cricket

Shakib fails to shine on return


Published : 25 Nov 2020 09:05 PM

Shakib failed to make a notable return in competitive cricket as he started his second innings after a gap 408 days.

The ace all-rounder finally returns to competitive cricket with the match between Gemcon Khulna and Fortune Barishal in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Gemcon Khulna recruited him in the players’ draft of the tournament, paving his way to return to the cricket, from which he banned by the International Cricket Council due to his failure to report the unethical approaches of the bookies.

He was free to play any kind of cricket after his ban was lifted on October 28. But since no tournament was held in Bangladesh, he had to wait almost one month to start playing.

Shakib did not take long to get into the groove as he picked Afif Hossain with his seventh ball though he can call himself lucky as short pitched ball could have gone anywhere outside that landed at the hand of Jahirul Omi.

However, he failed to get another wicket but bowled decently in his opening game after long gap. But certainly he could not make an impact with the willow during his stay in the middle making just 15 runs when Sumon Khan digs in short and Shakib takes him on with no power behind the pull shot that went straight into the hand of Afif who was standing at backward square leg.